Gift Cards (Certificates) - Overview

Gift Cards or Gift Certificates (GC) are the vouchers that can be sold in iVend Retail POS with a predefined amount or open amount. Later on, the customer can use the GC voucher as a means of payment for a transaction at the POS – The voucher can be used in full or partially during the payment tendering process.

Gift Certificate Types

1. Pre Printed (Cards will be pre-printed)

2. System Generated (Card number will be automatically generated)

3. User Defined (Card number will be given manually at the POS)

4. Email (Reserved for iVend when integrated with an e-commerce solution)

Figure 1 – Gift Certificate Types

Related Gift Certificate Processes

1. Sales of Gift Certificate

2. Recharge Gift Certificate

3. Gift Certificate Cash back

4. Store Credit

Gift Certificate Setup

Create a Gift Certificate by the following steps:

1. In the iVend Management Console, go to: Operations > Gift Certificates > Gift Certificate – the Gift Certificate Search screen comes up.

2. Click [F3 New] to create a new Gift Certificate.

Figure 2 – Gift Certificate Search Screen

3. Enter Gift Certificate Code and Description.

4. Select a GC group – this is mandatory and is usually defined in the system as ‘GC’ for simplicity of setup.

5. Enter GC price

6. Select Gift card type from the drop-down list.

Figure 3 – Gift Certificate Settings

Note: 

• Only one GC can be defined in the system as a Store Credit.

• If GC is going to be used as store credit, then Check  the option Use as store credit. 

8. Enter validity period in days – the Validity Period (Days) default value is 0, which indicates the GC will have no expiry.

9. Check the Cash Back option, if cash back is going to be allowed.

10. Check On hold option, if you want to disable this gift card

11. Enter an optional GC UPC Code

12. Check the Open Price option if it is desired that the price for the GC can be changed by the cashier at the POS. This will prompt the user with the GC price screen at the POS when the GC is selected to sell at the POS.

13. Check the Open Description if it is desired to allow the cashier to change the description of the GC being sold at the POS - this will prompt the user to fill in an alternative GC description.

14. Select Pass Template, Pass Email Template, enter the Pass Value, and enter the Pass Description – this is used if the GC is linked to the iVend Digital Passes functionality and the GC will be issued to the customer in a digital format at the POS.

15. Checking the Must Swipe card option will force the user to swipe the card for redemption, and it will block the card number from being entered manually at the POS.

16. Checking the Print Gift Certificate option allows for default GC printing at the POS.

17. Check the Reprint on Redemption option to allow the user to reprint the GC after redemption at the POS.

18. Enter a value in the Minimum Amount for Reprinting field if you wish to restrict the reprinting of the GC by a minimum value remaining on the GC after redemption at the POS.

19. Click the [Ok] button to save changes made to the GC and to close the setup window.

Create Gift Certificate and Store Credit Payment Types

1. In the iVend Management Console, go to: Administration > Financial > Payment type – the Payment Type Search screen comes up.

Figure 4 – Payment Type Search

2. Click [F3 New] to create a new Payment Type for Gift Certificates or Store Credits.

Figure 5 – Payment Type

3. Enter the GC or Store Credit payment type Code and Description

4. Select the type as Gift Certificate or Store Credit

5. Enter the Display order, this will be the order of the payment type in the payment tender types list at the POS on the Payments screen.

6. Once the payment type is selected the system will automatically set the default values for this payment type.

7. If GC is to be allowed to be used partially in payments, then check the option Allow partial tender. This means that if the GC has a value of $100, the customer could choose to use on $50 of the total value as a means of payment for items they purchase at the POS.

8. Click [Ok] to save the changes made to the GC setup and to close the window.

Gift Certificate Related Transactions:

1. Gift Certificate Receipt

Note: This type of transaction will be applicable only with GCs of the type Pre-printed

1. In the Management Console, go to: Operations > Gift Certificates > Gift Certificate Receipt

2. Click [F3 New] to create a new GC Receipt transaction.

Figure 5 – Gift Certificate Receipt

3. Enter GC Receipt number and date

4. Optionally select a Reason Code for processing the receipt

5. Click the [Add Gift Certificate] button to add a Gift Certificate of the type Pre-printed

6. Search and select the GC. Only GCs of the type Pre-printed will be displayed in the search results.

7. Enter the Quantity to be receipted.

8. Click [Ok]

Figure 6 – Serial Generation

9. Click [Add Row] to add a GC card number individually. Alternatively, use the [Automatic Creation] feature or the [Import File] option, which are especially helpful if large numbers of GCs are to be receipted into the system.

a. Import template is txt file with the card numbers

b. Auto Creation option is as per the following screen image example 

Figure 7 – Automatic Generation

10. If required, the user can add comments on lines.

11. Click [Ok] to complete the GC Receipt transaction and to print the GC Receipt.

Figure 8 – Goods Receipt Search

2. Gift Certificates Transfer

This transaction will be used to transfer Preprinted GC cards to other stores.

1. In the Management Console, go to: Operations > Gift Certificates> Stock Transfer Shipment

2. Click [F3 New] to create a new Stock Transfer Shipment.

Figure 9 – Stock Transfer Shipment

3. Select the “To Warehouse” – this is mandatory.

4. Enter a Request Number – this is mandatory

5. Enter optional comments if desired

6. Click the [Add Gift Certificate] button to search for and select a GC of the type Pre-printed – Only GCs of the type Pre-printed can be selected for GC Transfers

7. Select the Gift card

8. Enter the required Quantity to be transferred

9. Click [Ok] – this will open the Serial Selection screen.

Figure 10 – Serial Selection

10. Select the card numbers from the Available Serial numbers panel on the left side of the screen that you wish to be transferred, then using the arrow keys [>>] or [>] in the center panel, click to move the selected serial numbers to the Selected Serial numbers panel on the right side of the screen. The user can also use the [Auto Select All] button and the system will make the selection automatically based on the number of Quantity Required.

11. If a mistake is made the user can select the card numbers in the Selected Serial panel and use the arrow keys, [<] or [<<] located in the center panel to move them back to the Available Serial numbers panel.

12. Clicking [Ok] will save the selections, post the GC Transfer Shipment transaction, print the GC Transfer Shipment document and will then close the screen.

Figure 11 – Stock Transfer Shipment Search

13. With reference to the GC Transfer Shipment, the target receiving store will need to perform the Gift Certificate Transfer Receipt in a similar fashion to the steps required to create the Transfer Shipment.

a. In the Management Console, go to: Operations > Gift Certificates> Stock Transfer Receipt

b. Click [F3 New] and select the GC Transfer Shipment number available from the open transactions waiting to be receipted – Only the target receiving store will see the GC Transfer Shipments that are relevant to them, i.e. the store that was selected in the GC Transfer Shipmen in the “To Warehouse” field.

c. Click [Ok] to select the Serial card numbers to be received.

d. Click [Ok] to complete the GC Transfer Receipt at the target receiving store

Selling Gift Certificates at the POS

1. On the main transaction screen at the POS, select [F1 Transaction Mode] and then select [F8 Gift Certificate]

 Figure 12 – Transaction Mode

2. Upon clicking the [F8: Gift Certificate] button the user will be presented with the Gift Certificate Information window and a list of available Gift Certificates that have been setup in the system will be displayed ready for selection.

Figure 13 – Gift Certificate Information

3. Select the Gift Certificate desired from the list displayed. Then press [Ok] or in the case of Pre-printed GCs, click on the Serial field on the left GC Information panel and then select a Serial card number from the list displayed. Then press [Ok].

Figure 14 – Gift Certificate Information

Figure 15 – Main Transaction Screen

4. The Gift Certificate will be added to the main transaction screen. All the user has to do now, is process the payment to complete the transaction and sell the GC to the customer.

Gift Certificate Redemption at the POS

1. On the main POS transaction screen, scan in one or more products.

Figure 16 – Main Transaction Screen

2. To complete the sale and to redeem the Gift Certificate as a means to pay for the items, click on [F12 Payments].

Figure 17 – Payment Screen

3. Select the Payment Tender type, Gift Card.

Figure 18 – Gift Certificate Details

4. Click on the Gift Certificate field in the Gift Certificate Details panel. Select the Gift Certificate type from the displayed list of available Gift Certificates and then enter the Serial card number in the Account Number field. Click [Ok].

5. If the details entered are correct, then the system will present the user with a pop-up window asking then to confirm that they wish to use the balance available on the Gift Certificate – Click [Yes] and then [Ok] to accept the payment by tender type GC.

Figure 19 – Gift Certificate Balance Confirmation

6. Process the remaining balance owing on the transaction by any other payment type that the customer wishes to complete the transaction with, such as Cash, Credit Card or even another Gift Card if they were to have one to use.

Figure 20 – Payments Screen

Note: The customer could have used part of the value available on the Gift Card if the “Allow Partial Tender” flag had been checked in the associated Payment Type setup for selling Gift Cards at the POS.

Figure 21 – Payment Type Screen

Conclusion:

 Gift Certificates can be sold in iVend Retail at the POS in many formats. There are many features available to enable maximum flexibility in the types and functions of the Gift Certificates. Gift Certificates can be used as Store Credits and many types are supported including system generated, pre-printed, digital and even email types for integration to e-commerce solutions.