Zaui Software is happy to announce the release of our automated gift certificates feature, designed to make the sale of gift cards a whole lot easier.

While Gift Certificates have long been a feature Zaui, previously they had to be created by a reservation agent, in the Zaui back office. Now, they can be sold online and delivered hands-free to the purchaser or recipient of the gift. Consider this our gift that gives your customers the gift of giving your experience to their loved ones! (Now try saying that fast, three times!)

Not offering gift certificate yet? Here are four reasons why gift certificates can benefit tourism operators.

3 Simple Steps To Set Up Online Gift Certificates in Zaui

Zaui Gift Cards can either be for a specific tour or activity, or they can be for a specific denomination. They can be easily redeemed either through the back office or online on the checkout page of the Zaui booking engine, and they can be used to make multiple purchases until the balance is used up.

So, here are the steps you need to follow to get your system up and ready for selling gift cards.

Step 1: Internet Bookings Set up

Under the Settings menu, go to ‘Manage Internet Bookings’ and select the portal you want to use to sell gift certificates. Scroll down until you see the new ‘Gift Certificate Settings’ section.

Select the type or types of gift certificates you want to offer, then save changes to your portal. Make changes to any other portal(s) for which you want to enable gift certificates. If enabled, when you view your web portal, ‘Gift Certificates’ will be a new option in the header tab beside Activities (and Products and Packages if you have them).

Step 2: Gift Certificate Format Settings

Next, under your settings menu, go to ‘Manage Notifications’ > Email/SMS and create a new ‘Gift Certificate Notification’. You will need to provide a name and subject for the gift certificate notification, make any cosmetic changes to the existing template, enable it then save it when you are done.

The purchaser of the gift certificate will receive a confirmation email, followed by a second email containing the gift certificate and its unique code, which the purchaser can print or forward to the recipient. The recipient can redeem the gift code as normal, either online or in-person/over the phone.

Step 3: Update Your Website and Other Online Resources

Don’t forget to update your website to make it easy for visitors to see that you sell online gift cards! Add direct links from your website and social pages to your gift certificate page in your Zaui booking engine, making it super easy for your visitors to make a purchase.

Important notes:

• We recommend you make at least one or two test gift card bookings so you can get familiar with them. Just don’t forget to cancel them when you’re done!
• The gift certificate purchaser has the choice to either email the gift certificate or print it out and give it to the recipient
• Gift certificates can also be created in the back office, as previously.
• You can run three types of reports on gift certificates in Zaui: Unredeemed, Redeemed, and Expired.
• Need some help? We are available by phone and email as usual!