Gift Card Promotions Documentation

Menu Location: Settings > Gift Card Promotions

Access Level: Manager and above

Last Updated: 2026-03-01

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Overview

The Gift Card Promotions page allows you to create and manage targeted promotional campaigns that incentivize gift card purchases through special offers, bonuses, and limited-time deals. Promotions can increase gift card sales and drive customer acquisition.

Primary Functions:

• Create bonus gift card promotions (buy $100, get $120 value)
• Set up percentage discount campaigns (20% off gift cards)
• Schedule time-limited promotional periods
• Assign custom gift card designs to promotions
• Track promotion performance and ROI
• Configure automatic promotion

application rules

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Page Layout

Header Section

• Create New Promotion Button: Launch promotion builder
• Active/Scheduled/Ended Filters: View promotions by status
• Search Bar: Find promotions by name or code

Promotions List Table

Displays all promotions with columns:

• Promotion Name
• Type (Bonus Value, Percentage Discount, Free Shipping)
• Offer Details (e.g., "Buy $50, Get $60")
• Start Date
• End Date
• Status (Active, Scheduled, Ended, Paused)
• Gift Card Design Assigned
• Total Sales from Promotion
• Edit/Duplicate/Delete Actions

Performance Dashboard

• Total revenue from active promotions
• Number of gift cards sold via promotions this month
• Most successful promotion
• Average promotion conversion rate

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Creating Gift Card Promotions

Promotion Types

Bonus Value Promotion:

• Customer pays one amount, receives higher value
• Example: Pay $100, receive $120 gift card
• Best for: Holiday campaigns, customer acquisition

Percentage Discount:

• Discount off gift card purchase price
• Example: 20% off all gift cards
• Best for: Flash sales, clearance, bulk corporate orders

Tiered Offers:

• Different bonuses at different purchase levels
• Example: $50 card = $5 bonus, $100 card = $15 bonus
• Best for: Encouraging higher purchase amounts

Free Shipping/Add-ons:

• Free delivery or bonus items with gift card purchase
• Example: Free express delivery with $75+ gift card
• Best for: Competitive differentiation

Creating New Promotion

Steps:

1. Click "Create New Promotion" button
2. Enter promotion name (e.g., "Holiday Bonus 2026")
3. Select promotion type
4. Configure offer details:
   • For Bonus: Set purchase amount and bonus amount
   • For Discount: Set percentage off
   • For Tiered: Add multiple tiers
5. Set start date and time
6. Set end date and time
7. Choose gift card design to use
8. Add promotional message (appears in purchase flow)
9. Set purchase limits (optional):
   • Max purchases per customer
   • Max total gift cards sold
10. Click "Save & Activate" or "Save as Draft"

Requirements:

• Unique promotion name
• Valid date range (end after start)
• Offer details complete
• Gift card design selected

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Configuring Promotion Details

Bonus Value Promotions

Configuration Fields:

• Purchase Amount: What customer pays (e.g., $100)
• Bonus Amount: Extra value added (e.g., $20)
• Received Value: Total on gift card (e.g., $120)
• Bonus Percentage: Auto-calculated (e.g., 20%)

Example Configurations:

• Standard: Pay $50, Get $55 (10% bonus)
• Aggressive: Pay $100, Get $125 (25% bonus)
• Premium: Pay $250, Get $300 (20% bonus)

Percentage Discount Promotions

Configuration Fields:

• Discount Percentage: 5% to 50% off
• Minimum Purchase: Optional threshold (e.g., $50 minimum)
• Maximum Discount: Cap total discount (e.g., $25 max)
• Apply To: All amounts or specific denominations

Example Configurations:

• Light: 10% off gift cards $100+
• Medium: 15% off all gift cards
• Heavy: 25% off gift cards, max $50 discount

Tiered Promotions

Add Tiers:

1. Click "Add Tier" button
2. Set tier amount (e.g., $50)
3. Set tier bonus (e.g., $5)
4. Repeat for additional tiers
5. System auto-applies highest qualifying tier

Example Tiered Structure:

• Tier 1: $25 purchase = $2 bonus (8%)
• Tier 2: $50 purchase = $7 bonus (14%)
• Tier 3: $100 purchase = $20 bonus (20%)
• Tier 4: $200 purchase = $50 bonus (25%)

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Managing Promotions

Activating Promotions

Steps:

1. Find promotion in list
2. Verify all settings are correct
3. Click "Activate" button
4. Promotion goes live immediately (or at scheduled start time)
5. Promotional messaging appears on website

Auto-Activation:

• Promotions with future start dates activate automatically
• No manual action needed at start time

Pausing Promotions

When to Pause:

• Promotion performing too well (budget concerns)
• Technical issue discovered
• Temporary hold for review
• Inventory concerns

Steps:

1. Click "Pause" on active promotion
2. Confirm pause action
3. Promotion immediately stops applying
4. Can resume by clicking "Resume"

Note: Paused promotions don't appear to customers

Editing Active Promotions

Can Edit:

• Promotion name (internal)
• End date (extend or shorten)
• Purchase limits
• Promotional message
• Gift card design

Cannot Edit:

• Promotion type
• Offer amounts (would affect fairness)
• Start date (already passed)

Steps:

1. Click "Edit" on promotion
2. Make allowed changes
3. Click "Save Changes"
4. Changes take effect immediately

Ending Promotions

Automatic Ending:

• Promotions end automatically at specified end date/time
• Status changes to "Ended"
• No longer available to customers

Manual Ending:

1. Click "End Now" on active promotion
2. Confirm early termination
3. Promotion stops immediately
4. Status changes to "Ended"

Note: Cannot reactivate ended promotions

Duplicating Promotions

Purpose: Quickly create similar promotion based on successful past campaign

Steps:

1. Find successful past promotion
2. Click "Duplicate" action
3. System creates copy with "(Copy)" appended to name
4. Edit name, dates, and any other details
5. Save as new promotion
6. Activate when ready

Common Use: Annual holiday campaigns, recurring seasonal offers

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Promotion Performance Tracking

Key Metrics

Per-Promotion Stats:

• Total gift cards sold
• Total revenue generated
• Average purchase amount
• Total bonus value given
• Conversion rate (visitors to purchasers)
• ROI (revenue vs. bonus cost)

Viewing Analytics

Steps:

1. Click promotion name to open detail view
2. View performance dashboard
3. See charts and graphs:
   • Sales over time
   • Purchase amount distribution
   • Conversion funnel
4. Export detailed report

Comparing Promotions

Analysis:

1. Filter to show ended promotions
2. Sort by revenue or units sold
3. Identify most successful types
4. Note patterns (time of year, offer type, amounts)
5. Use insights for future campaigns

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Common Use Cases

Use Case 1: Holiday Bonus Campaign

Goal: Drive December holiday gift card sales with bonus offer

Steps:

1. Click "Create New Promotion"
2. Name: "Holiday Bonus 2026"
3. Type: Bonus Value Promotion
4. Purchase Amount: $100
5. Bonus Amount: $20 (20% bonus)
6. Start Date: November 15, 2026
7. End Date: December 24, 2026
8. Select "Holiday 2026" gift card design
9. Message: "Give more this holiday season! Buy a $100 gift card, your recipient gets $120 to enjoy."
10. Max per customer: 5 gift cards
11. Click "Save & Activate"
12. Promote via email, social media, website banners

Expected Result: Increased gift card sales during peak gift-giving season

Use Case 2: Flash Sale Weekend

Goal: Generate quick revenue with time-limited offer

Steps:

1. Create percentage discount promotion
2. Name: "Weekend Flash Sale"
3. Type: Percentage Discount
4. Discount: 25% off
5. Maximum Discount: $50
6. Start: Friday 12:00 AM
7. End: Sunday 11:59 PM
8. No purchase limits
9. Urgent messaging: "48 Hours Only! 25% Off All Gift Cards"
10. Send immediate email blast
11. Post on social media with countdown

Result: Urgency drives quick conversions

Use Case 3: Corporate Bulk Incentive

Goal: Encourage large corporate orders with tiered bonuses

Steps:

1. Create tiered promotion
2. Name: "Corporate Bulk Bonus"
3. Add tiers:
   • $500 = $50 bonus (10%)
   • $1,000 = $150 bonus (15%)
   • $2,500 = $500 bonus (20%)
4. Start: Immediately
5. End: Open-ended (no end date)
6. Contact corporate clients directly
7. Provide custom landing page for redemption

Result: Larger average orders from B2B customers

Use Case 4: Mother's Day Campaign

Goal: Seasonal promotion tied to specific occasion

Steps:

1. Duplicate last year's Mother's Day promotion
2. Update name: "Mother's Day 2026"
3. Update dates: April 20 - May 11, 2026
4. Bonus: Buy $50, Get $60
5. Select "Mother's Day" gift card design
6. Message: "Treat Mom to something special"
7. Activate 3 weeks before Mother's Day
8. Email campaign to all customers

Best Practice: Start promotion 2-3 weeks before actual holiday

Use Case 5: Win-Back Campaign

Goal: Re-engage lapsed customers with exclusive offer

Steps:

1. Create percentage discount promotion
2. Name: "We Miss You - Exclusive Offer"
3. Discount: 20% off gift cards
4. Minimum purchase: $75
5. Add unique promo code: COMEBACK20
6. Share code only via email to lapsed customers (not on website)
7. Track usage by code
8. Measure reactivation rate

Insight: Exclusive offers perform better than public promotions for win-back

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Troubleshooting

Promotion Not Appearing on Website

Symptoms:

• Active promotion doesn't show in purchase flow
• Customers don't see promotional offer

Check:

1. Verify promotion status is "Active" not "Draft" or "Paused"
2. Confirm current date/time is within promotion period
3. Check if promotion has purchase limits that are reached
4. Verify promotion is set to "Public" not "Private/Code Only"
5. Clear website cache

Solutions:

1. Activate promotion if in draft
2. Adjust start/end dates if outside range
3. Increase or remove limits
4. Change visibility settings
5. Contact administrator to clear cache

Bonus Not Calculating Correctly

Symptoms:

• Customer pays $100 but receives $100 card (not $120)
• Bonus amount not added to certificate value

Check:

1. Verify promotion is active during purchase
2. Check tier thresholds (customer may not qualify)
3. Ensure purchase amount exactly matches promotion requirement
4. Review promotion configuration (amounts entered correctly)
5. Check for conflicting promotions

Solutions:

1. Review promotion settings and fix if incorrect
2. Manually adjust certificate if customer affected
3. Issue supplemental certificate for bonus amount
4. Document issue and notify technical support

Too Many Redemptions

Symptoms:

• Promotion exceeding budget
• More gift cards sold than planned

Solutions:

1. Click "Pause" immediately to stop new purchases
2. Review analytics to understand spike
3. Consider lowering bonus/discount percentage
4. Add purchase limits (max per customer, max total)
5. Add minimum purchase requirement
6. Shorten end date

Prevention: Always set maximum limits on high-value promotions

Customer Says Promotion Expired But Still Active

Symptoms:

• Customer receives error "promotion ended"
• System shows promotion as active

Check:

1. Verify customer's timezone vs. server timezone
2. Check if max redemptions reached
3. Confirm customer hasn't hit per-customer limit
4. Look for browser cache issue on customer side

Solutions:

1. Explain timezone difference if applicable
2. Increase limits if appropriate
3. Have customer clear browser cache and retry
4. Process order manually with promotion applied

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Related Pages

• Gift Certificates (gift-certificates.php) - View certificates created through promotions
• Gift Card Images (gift-card-images.php) - Assign designs to promotions
• Customers - View which customers purchased promotional gift cards
• Reports > Revenue - Track gift card promotion revenue
• Marketing > Email Campaigns - Promote gift card offers

Typical Workflow:

1. Gift Card Images → Create seasonal design
2. Gift Card Promotions → Create promotion with design
3. Email Campaign → Announce promotion to customers
4. Gift Certificates → Monitor sales and redemptions
5. Reports → Analyze promotion performance

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Permissions & Access

Required Access Level: Manager or higher

Access Level Capabilities:

• Manager: Create, edit, pause promotions; view basic analytics
• Administrator: All Manager + delete promotions, access advanced analytics, configure system defaults
• Kiva Admin: All features + technical configuration, integration settings

Restricted Features:

• Delete Promotions: Requires Administrator
• High-Value Bonuses (>30%): May require approval per company policy
• System Configuration: Requires Kiva Admin

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Best Practices

Planning Promotions

1. Schedule in advance - Create promotions 2-4 weeks before start date
2. Align with marketing calendar - Coordinate with email/social campaigns
3. Set clear limits - Protect budget with maximum caps
4. Test before launch - Process test purchase to verify everything works
5. Plan promotion calendar annually - Know what promotions run when

Offer Strategy

1. Start conservative - Can always increase bonus, hard to decrease
2. Use tiers to encourage upsells - Better bonuses at higher amounts
3. Time-limit promotions - Urgency drives conversions
4. Segment offers - Different promotions for different customer groups
5. Monitor performance daily - Catch issues or opportunities early

Communication

1. Clear messaging - Make offer obvious and easy to understand
2. Highlight value - Emphasize what customer receives
3. Create urgency - Limited time or limited quantity
4. Multi-channel promotion - Email, social, website, in-app
5. Follow up - Remind customers as promotion end approaches

Financial Management

1. Budget bonus costs - Know total potential liability
2. Track ROI - Compare revenue to bonus cost
3. Set max redemptions - Cap total expense exposure
4. Monitor carefully - Watch for unexpected spikes
5. Reconcile monthly - Ensure accounting accuracy

Things to Avoid

• ❌ Running competing promotions simultaneously (confuses customers)
• ❌ Changing terms mid-promotion (damages trust)
• ❌ Unclear offer terms (leads to customer service issues)
• ❌ No end date on high-value promotions (unlimited liability)
• ❌ Forgetting to deactivate test promotions (accidental customer access)

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Quick Reference Card

Task	Action/Location
Create new promotion	Click "Create New Promotion"
Set bonus offer	Select Bonus Value type, enter amounts
Schedule promotion	Set start and end dates
Activate promotion	Status > "Active"
Pause active promotion	Click "Pause" on promotion
Extend end date	Edit promotion > Change end date
View performance	Click promotion name > View analytics
Duplicate past promotion	Find promotion > Click "Duplicate"
End promotion early	Click "End Now" > Confirm
Set purchase limits	Edit promotion > Purchase Limits section

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FAQs

What's the ideal bonus percentage?

Industry standards:

• Light: 5-10% bonus (everyday offers)
• Standard: 15-20% bonus (seasonal campaigns)
• Aggressive: 25-30% bonus (major holidays, acquisition) Test and adjust based on your margins and goals.

Should I run promotions year-round or seasonally?

Both strategies work:

• Year-round: Steady gift card sales, lower bonuses (5-10%)
• Seasonal: Higher impact during peaks, higher bonuses (20-30%) Most businesses use hybrid: light year-round + aggressive seasonal.

How far in advance should I announce promotions?

• Flash sales: 24-48 hours notice (creates urgency)
• Standard promotions: 1-2 weeks notice
• Major campaigns: 3-4 weeks notice (build anticipation)

Can I limit promotions to new customers only?

Yes, if your system supports it. Common configurations:

• New customers only
• Existing customers only
• All customers Check with administrator for your specific capabilities.

What if I set the bonus too high by mistake?

Options:

1. Before any purchases: Edit and correct immediately
2. After purchases: Honor existing purchases, then pause and fix
3. Budget concern: Set max total redemptions and pause when reached

Never change terms after customers have purchased.

How do I handle customers who just missed the promotion?

Options:

• Strict policy: No exceptions (maintains fairness)
• Grace period: 24-48 hours flexibility
• Case-by-case: Manager discretion for good customers
• Compensation: Offer alternative (discount code, free shipping)

Choose policy that fits your brand and document it.

Can I run different promotions for different customer segments?

Yes! Use promo codes or customer tags to segment:

• VIP customers get higher bonus
• New customers get acquisition offer
• Lapsed customers get win-back offer Track with unique codes or visibility settings.

Should I offer discounts or bonuses?

Percentage Discounts:

• Pros: Lower cost to business, simpler to communicate
• Cons: Less valuable to customer, harder to upsell

Bonus Value:

• Pros: Higher perceived value, encourages larger purchases
• Cons: Higher cost, creates more gift certificate liability

Most businesses prefer bonuses for better perceived value.

What's the best time of year for gift card promotions?

Peak periods:

• November-December: Holiday gifting (highest volume)
• May: Mother's Day, graduations
• June: Father's Day, weddings
• February: Valentine's Day
• January: Post-holiday sales, gift card redemption time

How do I measure promotion success?

Key metrics:

• Revenue: Total sales during promotion
• Units: Number of gift cards sold
• ROI: Revenue minus bonus cost
• Redemption Rate: How many cards are actually used
• Customer Acquisition: New customers from promotion

Compare against non-promotion periods and previous campaigns.

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End of Documentation

For additional help, contact your system administrator or Kiva Logic support.