Today I’m happy to announce the official release of the free Gift Cards for WooCommerce® plugin!

This plugin seamlessly integrates gift card functionality into your WooCommerce® store, letting you to enhance customer experience, boost sales, and grow brand loyalty.

The new free Gift Cards for WooCommerce® plugin is designed to provide a comprehensive solution for managing gift cards within your WooCommerce-powered online store.

Key Features

1. Admin Management Dashboard

• Create, Edit, and Delete Gift Cards: Easily manage your gift cards from the WooCommerce® admin panel.
• Comprehensive Gift Cards List: View all gift cards with details like code, balance, recipient email, issuance date, and expiration date.
• Activity Logs: Monitor all actions related to gift cards, including creation, usage, balance adjustments, and deletions for better oversight and accountability.

2. Bulk Import and Export

• CSV Import: Streamline the process of adding multiple gift cards by importing them through a CSV file.
• CSV Export: Export all gift card data for backup or migration purposes with ease.

3. Product Integration

• Mark Products as Gift Cards: Designate any WooCommerce® product as a gift card, allowing customers to purchase them directly.
• Gift Card Variations: Automatically generate predefined gift card amounts (e.g., $25, $50, $100) as product variations for enhanced customer choice.

4. Customer Experience Enhancements

• Personalized Messages: Allow customers to add personalized messages when sending gift cards.
• Email Delivery: Option to send gift cards directly via email, ensuring timely and secure delivery.
• My Account Integration: Customers can view and manage their active gift cards from the “My Account” section, fostering a personalized shopping experience.

5. Automated Email Notifications

• Gift Card Delivery Emails: Schedule and send automated emails upon gift card issuance or on the specified delivery date.
• Expiration Reminders: Configure and send reminder emails to customers before a gift card expires, encouraging them to utilize their gift cards.

Installation

Setting up Gift Cards for WooCommerce® (free) is straightforward.

Follow these steps to install and activate the plugin:

1. Download the Plugin

• From GitHub: Visit our GitHub repository and download the latest release as a .zip file.

2. Upload and Activate

• Upload Plugin:
  • Navigate to your WordPress dashboard.
  • Go to Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin .
  • Click Choose File and select the downloaded .zip file.
  • Click Install Now .
• Activate Plugin:
  • Once installed, click Activate Plugin .
  • Ensure that WooCommerce is active; if not, activate WooCommerce first as this plugin depends on it.

3. Initial Setup

• Upon activation, the plugin will create necessary database tables to store gift card data and activity logs.
• Navigate to WooCommerce > Gift Cards to access the plugin’s admin interface.

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Getting Started

Admin Dashboard

Once activated, the free Gift Cards for WooCommerce® plugin adds a new submenu under the WooCommerce® menu in your WordPress® admin dashboard.

• Accessing Gift Cards:
  • Go to WooCommerce > Gift Cards to access the main management interface.
• Tabs Overview:
  • Gift Cards: View and manage all existing gift cards.
  • Activity: Monitor all gift card-related activities.
  • Add Card: Issue new gift cards manually.
  • Settings: Customize email templates and set reminder periods for expiring gift cards.

Managing Gift Cards

• Viewing Gift Cards:
  • The “Gift Cards” tab displays a list of all gift cards with details like code, balance, recipient email, issued date, and expiration date.
  • Utilize the search bar and filter options to locate specific gift cards efficiently.
• Editing Gift Cards:
  • Click the Edit button next to a gift card to modify its details.
  • A modal window will appear where you can update the balance, expiration date, recipient email, sender name, and personal message.
  • Upon successful submission, a success message will display within the modal.
• Deleting Gift Cards:
  • Click the Delete button next to a gift card to remove it.
  • A confirmation prompt ensures that you intend to delete the gift card, preventing accidental removals.

Importing and Exporting Gift Cards

• Exporting Gift Cards:
  • Navigate to the “Gift Cards” tab.
  • Click on the Export CSV button to download a CSV file containing all gift card data.
• Importing Gift Cards:
  • Click on the Import CSV button.
  • Select a valid CSV file containing gift card data.
  • The plugin processes the file and imports the gift cards in batches to ensure optimal performance.
  • Upon completion, a success or error message will display based on the import results.

Integrating Gift Cards with Products

• Marking Products as Gift Cards:
  • Edit a product in WooCommerce.
  • In the “Product Data” section, check the Gift Card option to designate the product as a gift card.
• Gift Card Fields on Product Pages:
  • On the frontend, gift card products display additional fields for:
    • Gift Card Type: Digital or Physical.
    • Recipient Email: Email address of the gift card recipient.
    • Sender Name: Name of the sender.
    • Message: Personalized message for the recipient.
    • Delivery Date: Date when the gift card should be delivered.

Customer Experience

• Purchasing Gift Cards:
  • Customers can add gift card products to their cart and proceed to checkout.
  • During checkout, they can apply gift card codes to avail discounts based on their gift card balances.
• Managing Gift Cards:
  • After logging into their account, customers can navigate to the Gift Cards section under “My Account.”
  • Here, they can view all active gift cards, their balances, and expiration dates.

Future Enhancements

While Gift Cards for WooCommerce® version 1.0.0 is packed with essential features, I am committed to improving this plugin further.

Future updates will likely include:

• Enhanced Reporting: Advanced analytics and reporting tools for better insights into gift card usage and performance.
• Additional Customization Options: More flexibility in customizing gift card templates and settings.
• Integration with Other Plugins: Compatibility with popular WooCommerce® extensions for expanded functionality.

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Support and Feedback

Your feedback is invaluable!

If you run into any issues or have suggestions for improvements, please open an issue on our GitHub repository or reach out via the Contact page.