Gift cards can improve cash flow, attract new customers, and increase order sizes. Yet many stores either skip them or make them hard to find. That can mean missed sales during holidays and other busy shopping periods. If you run a BigCommerce store, gift certificates are already built into the platform.
Basic setup is quick, and the feature can become a useful sales tool throughout the year. This guide explains how to enable, customize, and sell gift cards on BigCommerce. It also covers physical cards, point-of-sale support, accounting, and more advanced needs.
BigCommerce gift certificates are digital products customers buy for other people. BigCommerce sends the certificate to the recipient by email.
The recipient gets a unique code. They can use that code during checkout. It can cover all or part of the order.
If the order costs less than the certificate value, the remaining balance stays available. The customer can use it on a later purchase.
The native gift certificate feature gives stores several useful options.
You can offer set values such as $25, $50, or $100. You can also let shoppers enter their own amount.
Customers can add a personal message for the recipient. Stores can also customize email templates with branding and seasonal designs.
BigCommerce can support expiration dates as well. However, gift card laws vary by location, so check the rules before using them.
Businesses using BigCommerce Development Services may need more advanced features. Third-party apps can add physical cards, store redemption, and point-of-sale connections.
Gift cards can help stores in several ways.
Immediate Cash Flow: You receive payment when the customer buys the gift card. The actual product cost comes later when the card is redeemed. That timing can help with inventory purchases and seasonal cash needs.
Breakage Revenue: Some gift cards are never fully used. Businesses may eventually recognize some unused value as revenue. However, unused balances do not become profit right away. Accounting rules and state laws may still apply.
Higher Order Values: Gift card users often spend more than the value on the card. A customer with a $50 certificate may choose a product that costs more. They then pay the remaining amount themselves.
The native setup is fairly simple. Most store owners can handle the basic steps without developer help.
Start by signing in to your BigCommerce admin.
Open Marketing in the left menu. Then choose Gift Certificates.
This area contains the main settings for gift certificates.
Follow these steps to turn on gift certificates.
After you save the settings, review your storefront. The gift certificate link may appear in different places depending on your theme.
Make sure customers can find it easily.
The default templates work well for a basic setup. You can also customize them to better match your brand.
Go to the Storefront, then open Gift Certificate Templates.
BigCommerce includes six template themes. They include Birthday, Boy, Celebration, Christmas, General, and Girl.
You can edit the templates with the built-in editor. Keep system placeholders such as %%GLOBAL_GiftCertificateCode%% in place. BigCommerce uses them to insert the correct gift card information.
For custom background images, upload the file through Image Manager. A 560 x 134 pixel image is commonly used for these templates.
Once gift cards are active, customers need an easy way to use them. Your team also needs a clear way to track balances.
BigCommerce storefronts can include a balance-check page. Customers enter their gift certificate details to see the remaining value.
BigCommerce also supports gift certificate purchasing and redemption in its Catalyst storefront framework. Catalyst can support storefront balance checking as well.
That means customers do not always need to begin checkout just to check a balance.
Merchants can also review gift certificate information in the BigCommerce admin. This can include issued certificates, balances, redemption activity, and expiration details.
BigCommerce handles most of the redemption process during checkout.
The customer enters the certificate code in the payment area. BigCommerce then applies the available value to the order.
If the order total is lower than the gift card balance, the remaining value stays available. The customer can use it later.
Common issues to watch include:
Gift cards become harder to manage when several business systems are involved.
The main goal is simple. Order and accounting data need to reach the right system without creating extra manual work.
If you use NetSuite, a BigCommerce NetSuite Integration can move ecommerce order data into your ERP.
Celigo's BigCommerce and NetSuite integration can record redeemed gift cards as separate line items on NetSuite sales orders.
That matters for accounting. Gift card sales usually create a liability until the value is redeemed.
It also matters for reporting. Finance teams need to understand how gift card use affects each order.
The Celigo connector moves several types of ecommerce data between the two systems. For gift cards, its documented function focuses on redeemed amounts in NetSuite sales orders.
Do not assume both systems always share one live gift card balance. Some businesses may need more setup to support that workflow.
Gift card purchases use the payment methods available on your store.
Your normal processor fees may apply when a shopper buys the gift certificate.
Redemption works differently. The gift certificate acts as a stored value for that part of the order.
Businesses with physical stores should also review their POS setup. The online store and retail system need to handle gift card activity in the same way.
Gift cards can support more than holiday gifting.
You can use them as referral rewards. Existing customers can receive store credit after bringing in a new shopper.
Gift cards can also work as return credit where your policies allow it.
Loyalty programs are another option. You can reward customers with gift certificates after they reach certain milestones.
Adding gift cards to the store is only the first step. Customers also need to know they exist.
Gift card demand often grows around major holidays. Still, stores can promote them throughout the year.
Useful periods include:
Make gift cards easy to spot during these periods.
Use homepage banners, email campaigns, and social posts. Start promoting before the busiest shopping days arrive.
Special offers can make gift cards more appealing.
For example, a store might offer bonus value with a larger gift card purchase. Make sure finance reviews how that bonus value should be tracked.
Gift cards can also introduce shoppers who have never purchased from your store before.
Make gift cards easy to find.
For BigCommerce Implementation projects, gift cards can also appear in seasonal homepage content.
The goal is not complicated. Customers should not need a treasure map to find them.
Native BigCommerce works well for standard digital gift certificates.
Larger or more complex businesses may need added tools for physical cards, loyalty programs, or multiple locations.
Several apps can extend the native gift card feature.
Gift Up! offers added tools for businesses that need a more advanced gift card setup. Review its current listing before choosing it because features may change.
99minds supports loyalty programs, gift cards, workflows, and multi-store use. It may fit businesses that want gift cards tied to a wider retention program.
Givex supports businesses with multiple stores or sales channels. Setup needs depend on the POS system and ecommerce environment.
For more options, review BigCommerce Apps.
Some businesses need features that standard tools do not cover.
Custom development can support:
BigCommerce Services can help build these features while keeping the store maintainable.
That last part matters. A clever feature is less impressive when nobody wants to touch it six months later.
Gift cards also create legal and accounting responsibilities.
The exact rules depend on where your company operates and where your customers live.
Federal law sets basic protections for many gift cards in the United States.
Covered gift card funds generally cannot expire for at least five years. Inactivity fees generally cannot begin until a card has gone unused for at least one year.
Businesses must also disclose applicable fees and expiration terms.
State laws may provide stronger protections. California, for example, generally does not allow expiration dates on retailer gift certificates, subject to certain exceptions.
Review local rules before adding an expiration date.
A gift card sale usually creates a liability at first. It does not immediately become product revenue.
You received the customer's money, but you still owe them goods or services.
For NetSuite Services clients, the accounting setup should reflect that obligation correctly. Oracle NetSuite supports deferred revenue accounts and revenue recognition workflows.
A clean setup helps finance teams with:
Accounting treatment can depend on company policy and ASC 606 rules. Finance teams should confirm the correct method for their business.
Unused gift cards may also fall under state unclaimed property laws.
Rules vary widely. Some states require certain unused balances to be reported after a set period.
Other states exempt some gift certificates. Rules can also depend on the type of card and where the business operates.
Your finance and legal teams should:
Do not assume every state follows the same timeline. Gift card rules can differ significantly.
Basic gift certificate setup is usually straightforward. Things get more interesting when gift cards must work across ecommerce, accounting, ERP, and physical stores.
Anchor Group builds BigCommerce stores that connect with back-end systems. As a BigCommerce Certified Partner and Oracle NetSuite Alliance Partner, our team works on both sides of that setup.
We can help with gift certificate setup, template changes, and BigCommerce NetSuite Integration. We can also review third-party apps or build custom workflows when the native feature does not cover the job.
If you only have one stubborn issue, our BigCommerce 30-minute fix may be a better fit. Nobody needs seventeen meetings to fix one gift card field.
Yes. BigCommerce includes gift certificate templates that you can edit for your store. You can change the design and add your own branding. Custom images can also be uploaded through Image Manager. Keep required BigCommerce placeholders inside the template. Those placeholders insert details such as the gift certificate code. Test the final email before customers begin buying cards.
Customers enter their gift certificate code during checkout. BigCommerce applies the available balance to the order. If the card does not cover the full total, the customer pays the difference. If money remains on the card, the balance stays available. The customer can use that remaining value later. Stores should also make balance checking easy to find.
BigCommerce does not add a separate fee simply because a native certificate is redeemed. The original purchase still goes through your normal payment process. Your payment provider's usual fees may apply to that transaction. Third-party gift card tools can follow different pricing models. Review current vendor terms before choosing one. Do not assume every gift card app uses the same fee structure.
BigCommerce can support expiration dates, but legal rules come first. Federal protections generally prevent covered gift card funds from expiring for at least five years. Some states provide stronger rules. California generally prohibits expiration dates on retailer gift certificates, with limited exceptions. Review the laws that apply to your business. Many stores simply avoid expiration dates to reduce legal and customer-service issues.
Yes, but the setup depends on the POS system. Some providers offer direct connections for online and in-store gift card use. Other systems may need an app or custom integration. Test balance updates, partial redemption, refunds, and store purchases before launch. The goal is one clear gift card process across every channel. Otherwise, reconciliation can get squirrelly pretty quickly.
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