Gift vouchers and coupons are a great way to sell products to those who can not decide what to give a friend or family member. Here is how you create them with Santu.

To offer a gift voucher you must first set up the voucher with Santu and then create a product to sell it.

Note that gift vouchers may be subject to regulations in your country – you will find some more info on this below.

Setting up a gift voucher

1. Go to the Santu Dashboard
2. Click on Marketing
3. Click on Manage vouchers
4. Select the Option Create gift voucher and click on Create a new voucher

Now you can set up your gift voucher. You can adjust your shop name which will appear on the gift voucher by clicking on the Edit button next to the shop name.

Give the gift voucher a catalog number (SKU) and define the value of the gift voucher.

Then select one of the voucher templates.

You can add a short message to the voucher and also adjust the instructions provided.

Other options are to set an expiry date for the gift voucher or to allow customers to use the voucher for multiple purchases.

Creating a product

1. Go to the Santu Dashboard
2. Click on My Products
3. Create a new product
4. Use as price the voucher value and as SKU (catalog number) the catalog number you used to create the gift voucher

Now you can hare your product anywhere you want.
To allow customers to select from multiple gift vouchers set them up as options or variations.

Santu will automatically send the gift voucher to anyone who purchases the product.

Subject to regulations

Gift vouchers may be subject to regulations in your country or state. Please check the regulations by contacting the appropriate authorities to make sure you comply.

Canada

In Manitoba, Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Quebec, legislation has been passed to ban expiry dates and fees collected on gift cards. (Wikipedia)

United States

An addendum to the Credit CARD Act of 2009 directs the federal government to create consumer-friendly standards pertaining to gift cards. Most notably, the new regulations prohibit retailers from setting expiration dates unless they are at least 5 years after the card’s date of issue or the date on which funds were last added to the card. In addition, retailers are no longer able to assess dormancy, inactivity, or service fees unless the card has been inactive for at least 12 months, and if fees are added after that period, the details of such fees must be clearly disclosed on the card. Additionally, retailers are unable to levy more than one fee per month. The new provisions took effect on August 22, 2010.

Open loop cards are governed by rules of the Comptroller of the Currency, however oversight has been criticized. Closed loop gift cards are subject to rules set by different state regulations, and issuing authorities vary widely in the rules they set for the consumer. Rules can be changed by the issuer without notifying the consumer. (Wikipedia)

Germany

A gift voucher in Germany (Geschenkgutschein) must be valid for at least one year before it can expire.

Even after a gift voucher is expired, it does not lose its value for another three years in Germany: During this time the owner of the gift voucher can return it. However the merchant in Germany can then decide if he wants to provide goods or cash. The merchant is entitled to keep up to 25% of the value of the voucher, once it is expired.

Gift vouchers can be sold by the buyer – they may not be not limited to a person

Gift vouchers without an expiry date expire three years after the end of the year in which they were sold. A gift voucher sold at any time during 2012 will therefore expire on December 31, 2015.