Gift Offers

Transform any offer into a gift that customers can purchase for others. When enabled, the system automatically creates gift cards and manages recipient notifications through specialized email responders.

For Purchasers: Buy any gift-enabled offer for someone else by providing recipient details and a personal message.

For Recipients: Receive an email notification with redemption instructions and claim the gift through Vrio's hosted checkout or API.

For Merchants: Automatic gift card generation, financial tracking, and seamless checkout integration.

Gift Redemption Process

Purchase: Customer buys offer as gift with recipient details
Card Creation: System automatically generates gift card with full offer value
Notification: Recipient receives email with gift card code and redemption link
Redemption: Recipient claims gift via hosted checkout or API
Fulfillment: Shipments created upon redemption (not at purchase)
Confirmation: Both parties receive confirmation emails

Setup and Purchase

1. Create Gift Responders

Create specialized email templates for the gift process. These work differently than standard offer responders since they target gift recipients rather than purchasers.

Gift Responder (Required)

The primary notification sent to gift recipients should:

Welcome the recipient and explain they've received a gift
Include the personal message from the purchaser using {gift_message}
Provide clear instructions on how to claim the gift
Feature the {gift_url} prominently as a call-to-action button
Set expectations about what they're receiving

Claimed Gift Responder (Optional)

Confirmation sent after successful gift redemption:

Thank the recipient for claiming their gift
Provide order confirmation details
Include next steps (shipping info, account access, etc.)
Reference the original giftor

Claimed Giftor Responder (Optional)

Notification sent to the original purchaser when their gift is claimed:

Confirm the gift was successfully redeemed
Include redemption date and basic details
Thank them for their gift purchase
Maintain privacy by not sharing recipient's personal details

Available Gift Merge Tags:

{gift_message} - Personal message from the purchaser
{gift_name} - Recipient's name
{gift_date} - Scheduled delivery date
{gift_url} - Direct link to claim the gift
{gift_card_code} - Unique gift card redemption code

Plus all standard merge tags from the Responder System Documentation.

2. Configure Gift Settings

Mark your offer as giftable and assign your responders:

In your offer's Gift Details section:

Gift Responder: Select your primary gift notification template
Claimed Gift Responder: Choose confirmation template for recipients
Claimed Giftor Responder: Pick notification template for original purchasers

3. Gift Date Scheduling (Optional)

Schedule gift notifications for future delivery - perfect for birthdays, holidays, or special occasions. The system holds the gift responder until the specified gift_date.

4. Purchasing Gifts

Via API

When purchasing an offer as a gift, include these parameters in your offer array:

{
  "offer_id": 123,
  "order_offer_quantity": 1,
  "is_gift": 1,
  "gift_email": "[email protected]",
  "gift_name": "John Doe",
  "gift_message": "Happy Birthday! Enjoy this special offer.",
  "gift_date": "2025-12-25 12:00:00"
}

Required fields: offer_id, order_offer_quantity, is_gift, gift_email, gift_name, gift_message
Optional fields: gift_date (for scheduled delivery)

Via Checkout

Purchasers can also buy gifts through your standard checkout flow by selecting the "Send as Gift" option and providing recipient information.

Ways to Claim Gifts

Recipients have two convenient ways to redeem their gifts:

1. Vrio Hosted Checkout

The easiest way for recipients to claim their gift is through Vrio's hosted checkout:

Email Notification: Recipient receives email with the {gift_url} merge tag
Click Link: The {gift_url} directs them to Vrio's hosted checkout
Automatic Application: Gift card automatically applies to the order
Complete Checkout: Recipient enters shipping information and completes the order

Benefits:

No technical knowledge required
Gift card automatically applied
Seamless user experience
Mobile-friendly interface

2. API Redemption

For programmatic redemption, recipients can apply their gift card when creating an order through the POST /orders endpoint.

Complete order example with gift card redemption:

{
  "customer": {
    "email": "[email protected]",
  },
  "offers": [
    {
      "offer_id": 123,
      "order_offer_quantity": 1
    }
  ],
  "gift_cards": [
    {
      "gift_card_code": "GIFT-ABC123-XYZ",
      "gift_card_apply": 99.99
    }
  ],
  "payment_method_id": 0,
  "ship_fname": "John",
  "ship_lname": "Doe"
  "ship_address1": "123 Main St",
  "ship_address2": "Apt 4B",
  "ship_city": "New York",
  "ship_state": "NY",
  "ship_zipcode": "10001",
  "ship_country": "US"
}

Key Points:

Set payment_method_id: 0 since the gift card covers payment
Billing address not required when using gift cards
The gift card amount should cover the full order total

Gift Card Parameters:

gift_card_code (string, required): The unique gift card code from the gift email
gift_card_apply (number, optional): Amount to apply from the gift card. If omitted or if the amount exceeds the available balance, the system will apply the maximum available amount.

Multiple Gift Cards:

You can apply multiple gift cards to a single order by including multiple objects in the gift_cards array:

"gift_cards": [
  {
    "gift_card_code": "GIFT-ABC123-XYZ",
    "gift_card_apply": 50.00
  },
  {
    "gift_card_code": "GIFT-DEF456-UVW",
    "gift_card_apply": 25.00
  }
]

The system will validate each gift card and apply them in the order provided until the order total is covered or all gift cards are exhausted.

Troubleshooting

Emails not sending: Verify gift responder configuration and email settings
Claim links broken: Check Vrio checkout integration and campaign settings
Gift card not applying: Confirm gift card status and offer compatibility
Missing recipient details: Ensure all required API parameters are submitted

Next Steps

Enhance your gift functionality with these configurations:

Email Automation - Design compelling gift notification templates
Customer Controls - Manage gift purchase restrictions
Billing Configuration - Set up gift card payment processing
Growth Tools - Integrate gifts with loyalty programs