Getting Started

Welcome to Expresso Gift Cards! This guide will help you create and send gift cards in bulk for your Shopify store.

If you prefer to learn visually, have a look at the video.

Creating Gift Cards Manually

1. After installing the app, you'll see the main gift card creation interface with an inline spreadsheet editor.
2. Click "Add Gift Card" to add a new row. For each gift card, you can specify:
   • First Name — recipient's first name
   • Last Name — recipient's last name
   • Email — recipient's email address (required for delivery)
   • Amount — gift card value (e.g. 25, 150.00, or $2,500)
   • Customer Message — a personal message included in the email to the recipient (max 200 characters)
   • Internal Note — a private note visible only in your Shopify admin (not sent to the recipient)
   • Expires On — optional expiration date
   • Code — optional custom gift card code (auto-generated if left empty)
3. Edit any cell by double-clicking it. You can also use Cmd+C / Cmd+V to copy and paste values, and Cmd+Z to undo changes.
4. Use the column headers to filter and sort your data.
5. Need to pause your work? Click "Save Draft" to save your progress. Your entries will be preserved even if you leave the app and return later.
6. To start fresh, use "Clear All" to remove all entries from your draft.

Importing Gift Cards via CSV

For larger quantities of gift cards, use the CSV import feature:

1. Create a CSV file with the following columns:

   • firstname — recipient's first name
   • lastname — recipient's last name
   • email — recipient's email address
   • amount — gift card value (currency symbols like $, €, £ and commas are automatically stripped)
   • message — personal message sent to the recipient (max 200 characters, optional)
   • note — internal merchant note, visible only in Shopify admin (optional)
   • expireson — expiration date (optional). Accepted formats: YYYY-MM-DD, MM/DD/YYYY, or DD-MM-YYYY
   • code — custom gift card code (optional, auto-generated if empty)

2. Click "Import CSV" and upload your file.

3. The app will automatically validate and clean your data:

   • Strips currency symbols and formatting from amounts
   • Corrects common email typos (e.g. gmial.com → gmail.com)
   • Converts dates to a standard format
   • Flags any errors that need your attention

4. Review the import results, then edit any rows directly in the spreadsheet if needed.

5. Click "Save Draft" if you want to make further adjustments, or proceed to create.

Tip: Column headers are flexible. For example, fname, givenname, and first all map to the first name field. Similarly, mail works for email, and expires works for the expiration date.

Sending Gift Cards

When you're ready to send:

1. Click "Create Gift Cards" to generate and deliver immediately.
2. By default, recipients will receive their gift card via email. Uncheck "Send email notifications to recipients" if you want to create the gift cards without emailing them.
3. For large batches (200+ cards), the app uses Shopify's bulk operations API for reliable processing. You can check progress in the History tab.

Scheduling Gift Cards for Later

Want to send gift cards at a specific date and time?

1. Click "Schedule for Later" instead of "Create Gift Cards."
2. Choose your desired date and time. Scheduling supports up to one year in advance.
3. Optionally enter a notification email to be alerted when the scheduled import completes.
4. View and manage all scheduled imports from the Scheduled tab in the navigation menu.

What Happens After Creation

• Each recipient receives their gift card by email (unless you disabled notifications)
• Customer accounts are automatically created or matched for each recipient
• Gift cards appear in your Shopify Admin under Products > Gift cards
• Recipients appear in your Customers list
• View creation results and history in the History tab

Tips for Success

• Always review your entries in the spreadsheet before creating
• Use "Save Draft" frequently when working with large batches
• Use the email toggle to suppress notifications when creating gift cards for internal use
• Check the History tab to confirm gift cards were created successfully
• Use "Schedule for Later" for promotions timed to a specific launch date

Need help? Contact our support team at support@anatolilabs.com