🆕Birthday Gift Cards

Introduction

The Birthday Gift Cards campaign automatically sends personalized gift cards to your customers on their birthdays. This powerful feature helps you:

  • Build customer loyalty through personalized birthday rewards

  • Increase customer lifetime value with timely engagement

  • Drive repeat purchases around customers' birthdays

  • Automate what would otherwise be a manual, time-consuming process

The campaign runs on a schedule you define, searching for customers whose birthdays match your criteria, creating gift cards, and sending beautifully designed birthday emails with the gift card code.

How it works:

  1. You set up the campaign with your targeting criteria, gift card settings, and schedule

  2. The campaign runs automatically at your scheduled time

  3. It finds customers matching your birthday query

  4. It creates a gift card for each eligible customer

  5. It sends a birthday email with the gift card code

  6. Customers receive their birthday gift and can redeem it at your store

💡 Common Use Cases

  • Daily Birthday Campaign - Send a $10 gift card to every customer on their actual birthday, every day at 9:00 AM.

    Perfect for: Stores with a large customer base who want to celebrate every customer's birthday.

  • Monthly Birthday Campaign - Send a $15 gift card to all customers with birthdays in the current month, on the 1st day of each month.

    Perfect for: Smaller stores or those who want to batch birthday communications.

  • VIP Birthday Rewards - Send a $25 gift card to VIP customers only on their birthdays.

    Perfect for: Rewarding your most valuable customers with special birthday treatment.

  • Birthday Month Welcome - Send a gift card at the beginning of the month to all customers with birthdays that month.

    Perfect for: Building anticipation and encouraging purchases throughout the birthday month.

  • Regional Birthday Campaign - Send birthday gift cards to customers in specific locations with region-appropriate values.

    Perfect for: Stores with different strategies for different markets.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Navigate to Campaign Creation

  1. Log into your Gift Card Factory app in Shopify Admin

  2. Go to Campaigns section

  3. Click Create Campaign

  4. Select Birthday Gift Cards as the campaign type

Step 2: Configure Basic Settings

Campaign Title

Give your campaign a descriptive name that helps you identify it later.

Customer Query

This is the most important setting - it determines which customers receive birthday gift cards. Read our detailed instruction on Customer Query here.

Step 3: Configure Gift Card Settings

Gift Card Value

Enter the monetary value of the gift card you want to send.

Guidelines:

  • Consider your average order value (AOV) - typically 10-20% of AOV works well

  • Balance generosity with profitability

  • Common values: $5, $10, $15, $20, $25, $50

Examples:

  • Budget-friendly: $5-$10

  • Standard: $10-$15

  • Premium/VIP: $20-$50

Gift Card Message (Optional)

Add a personal message that appears on the physical gift card in Shopify and in the email.

Maximum: 200 characters

Examples:

  • "Happy Birthday! Enjoy this gift from us on your special day!"

  • "Wishing you a wonderful birthday celebration!"

  • "Happy Birthday from the [Your Store Name] family!"

  • "Another year older, another year more fabulous! Enjoy your gift!"

Tips:

  • Keep it warm and personal

  • Mention your store name if space allows

  • Avoid promotional language - focus on celebration

  • Use the character counter to ensure it fits

Gift Card Expiry

Choose when the gift card expires. This affects how long customers have to use their birthday gift.

Three Options:

1. Gift cards never expire (Recommended)

  • Gift cards remain valid indefinitely

  • Best for building long-term goodwill

  • Reduces customer service inquiries

2. Gift cards expire relative to creation date

  • Set expiry based on when the gift card is created

  • Options: days, weeks, months, or years

  • Example: "Expire after 3 months"

Common Settings:

  • 30 days - Creates urgency, higher redemption rate

  • 90 days - Balanced approach

  • 6 months - Generous but still encourages use

  • 1 year - Very generous expiration window

3. Gift cards expire on a specific date

  • All gift cards expire on a fixed date

  • Useful for seasonal campaigns

  • Example: "All birthday cards expire on December 31st"

Best Practices:

  • Check your local laws - some jurisdictions prohibit gift card expiration

  • Longer expiration = better customer experience but lower urgency

  • Clearly communicate expiration in the email

  • Consider 90 days as a good balance

Step 4: Set Up Schedule

Timezone

Select the timezone for your campaign execution.

Recommendations:

  • Use your store's primary location timezone

  • Use your customer's most common timezone if you have regional focus

  • Default: Your computer's timezone

Start Date & Time

Choose when the campaign should first run.

For daily birthday campaigns:

  • Start Date: Today or tomorrow

  • Start Time: Morning hours (8:00 AM - 10:00 AM work well)

  • Reasoning: Customers receive the email early in their day

For monthly birthday campaigns:

  • Start Date: First day of next month

  • Start Time: Early morning (6:00 AM - 8:00 AM)

  • Reasoning: Customers have the whole month to use their gift

Time Selection Tips:

  • Avoid middle of the night (customers may miss emails)

  • Consider when your customers are most likely to check email

  • E-commerce businesses: 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM works well

  • Retail businesses: Match your store opening hours

Repeat Schedule

Your campaign should run at regular intervals e.g. daily, weekly or monthly. When it runs, it finds customers meeting Customer Query and sends gift cards to customers found.

Options:

  • Day: Campaign runs daily

  • Week: Campaign runs weekly

  • Month: Campaign runs monthly

  • Year: Campaign runs yearly

Interval: How many days/weeks/months/years between runs.

Common Configurations:

Daily Birthday Campaign:

  • ✅ Enable Repeat

  • Repeat Every: 1

  • Frequency: Day

  • Result: Runs every day at the scheduled time

Weekly Birthday Check:

  • ✅ Enable Repeat

  • Repeat Every: 1

  • Frequency: Week

  • Result: Runs once per week

Monthly Birthday Batch:

  • ✅ Enable Repeat

  • Repeat Every: 1

  • Frequency: Month

  • Result: Runs on the 1st of each month (or your chosen date)

One-Time Campaign:

  • ❌ Disable Repeat

  • Result: Runs once at the scheduled date/time, then stops

Step 5: Choose Email Delivery Method

You have four options for how birthday emails are sent. Read a

Step 6: Review and Create

  1. Review all your settings:

    • Campaign title is descriptive

    • Customer query is tested and working

    • Gift card value is correct

    • Message is proofread (if applicable)

    • Expiry settings match your strategy

    • Schedule is configured correctly

    • Email method is selected and configured

  2. Click Create button

  3. Your campaign is now created and scheduled!

Configuration Options Explained

Understanding the Schedule

Next Run Time: When viewing your campaign, you'll see "Next Run" which shows when the campaign will execute next.

How it calculates:

  • Based on your start date, time, and repeat settings

  • Automatically updates after each run

  • Uses your selected timezone

Example:

  • Start Date: January 15, 2025

  • Start Time: 9:00 AM

  • Timezone: America/New_York

  • Repeat: Every 1 Day

  • Next Run: January 16, 2025 at 9:00 AM EST

Setting Up Customer Tags

Before your birthday campaign will work, you need to tag customers with their birth dates.

Recommended Tag Format

Format: birthday-MM-DD

Examples:

  • January 5th: birthday-01-05

  • June 20th: birthday-06-20

  • December 31st: birthday-12-31

Important:

  • Always use 2 digits for month (01-12, not 1-12)

  • Always use 2 digits for day (01-31, not 1-31)

  • Use hyphens as separators

  • Consistent formatting is critical

Examples and Templates

Example 1: Simple Daily Birthday Campaign

Campaign Name: Daily Birthday Rewards - $10

Customer Query:

tag:birthday-{{ "now" | date: "%m-%d" }} AND email_marketing_consent:subscribed

Gift Card Value: $10.00

Gift Card Message: "Happy Birthday! Enjoy this gift from our team!"

Expiry: 90 days after creation

Schedule:

  • Start Date: Tomorrow

  • Start Time: 9:00 AM

  • Timezone: America/New_York

  • Repeat: ✅ Every 1 Day

Email Method: App Email (Birthday Gift Cards template)

Result: Every day at 9:00 AM, customers whose birthday is today receive a $10 gift card valid for 90 days.

Example 2: Monthly VIP Birthday Campaign

Campaign Name: VIP Monthly Birthdays - $25

Customer Query:

tag:birthday-{{ "now" | date: "%m" }}* AND tag:vip AND email_marketing_consent:subscribed

Gift Card Value: $25.00

Gift Card Message: "Happy Birthday to one of our VIP customers! Celebrate your special month with this gift!"

Expiry: Never expire

Schedule:

  • Start Date: First day of next month

  • Start Time: 8:00 AM

  • Timezone: America/Los_Angeles

  • Repeat: ✅ Every 1 Month

Email Method: App Email (Custom VIP Birthday template)

Result: On the 1st of each month at 8:00 AM, all VIP customers with birthdays in that month receive a $25 gift card with no expiration.

Example 3: Regional Birthday Campaign

Campaign Name: Birthday Rewards - Canada - $15 CAD

Customer Query:

tag:birthday-{{ "now" | date: "%m-%d" }} AND country:Canada AND email_marketing_consent:subscribed

Gift Card Value: $15.00

Gift Card Message: "Happy Birthday from all of us in Canada!"

Expiry: 60 days after creation

Schedule:

  • Start Date: Today

  • Start Time: 10:00 AM

  • Timezone: America/Toronto

  • Repeat: ✅ Every 1 Day

Email Method: Klaviyo

Result: Every day at 10:00 AM Toronto time, Canadian customers with birthdays today receive a $15 CAD gift card via Klaviyo email, valid for 60 days.

Example 4: Birthday Week Campaign

Campaign Name: Birthday Week Special - $20

Customer Query:

tag:birthday-{{ "now" | date: "%m-%d" }} AND tag:email-subscriber

Gift Card Value: $20.00

Gift Card Message: "It's your birthday week! Treat yourself to something special on us!"

Expiry: 7 days after creation

Schedule:

  • Start Date: The Monday of current week

  • Start Time: 7:00 AM

  • Timezone: America/Chicago

  • Repeat: ✅ Every 1 Week

Email Method: App Email (Birthday Gift Cards template)

Result: Every Monday at 7:00 AM, customers whose birthday falls in that week receive a $20 gift card valid for 7 days, creating urgency to shop during their birthday week.

Best Practices

1. Test Before Going Live

Always test your campaign:

  1. Create a test customer with today's birthday tag

  2. Set up a test campaign with:

    • Short schedule (run in 5 minutes)

    • Low gift card value ($0.50)

    • Targeted to your test customer email

  3. Verify the email is received and looks correct

  4. Check the gift card was created in Shopify

  5. Test redemption of the gift card

2. Start Conservative

For new campaigns:

  • Begin with smaller gift card values ($5-$10)

  • Monitor redemption rates and revenue impact

  • Gradually increase values based on ROI

  • Track customer satisfaction and engagement

3. Segment Your Customers

Consider different campaigns for:

  • VIP/Loyal customers (higher value)

  • New customers (smaller value or none)

  • High-spend customers (premium rewards)

  • Geographic regions (account for different markets)

  • Product interests (niche offers)

4. Respect Marketing Preferences

Always include in your query:

AND email_marketing_consent:subscribed

Why:

  • Respects customer preferences

  • Improves email deliverability

  • Reduces spam complaints

  • Maintains brand reputation

  • Complies with regulations (GDPR, CAN-SPAM, etc.)

5. Monitor and Optimize

Track these metrics:

  • Number of gift cards sent

  • Redemption rate (how many are used)

  • Revenue generated from birthday gift cards

  • Time to redemption (how quickly customers use them)

  • Additional items purchased with gift card

Optimize based on data:

  • If redemption is low: Increase urgency (shorter expiration)

  • If redemption is high but average order is low: Consider increasing value

  • If too expensive: Add more targeting criteria or decrease value

6. Set Realistic Expectations

Safety limits: The campaign will stop if it finds more than 250 customers matching your query. This prevents:

  • Accidental mass sending

  • Cost overruns from broad queries

  • System performance issues

If you hit this limit:

  • Your query is likely too broad

  • Review your customer query

  • Add more specific filters

  • Consider segmenting into multiple campaigns

7. Maintain Your Customer Tags

Regular maintenance:

  • Audit tags quarterly for accuracy

  • Update incorrect birth dates

  • Remove outdated or invalid tags

  • Collect birthdays from new customers

  • Standardize tag format across your team

8. Communicate Value Clearly

In your gift card message:

  • Be warm and personal

  • Avoid excessive promotional language

  • Focus on the celebration, not the sale

  • Keep it concise and readable

Good examples:

  • ✅ "Happy Birthday! Enjoy this special gift from us."

  • ✅ "Wishing you a wonderful birthday celebration!"

Avoid:

  • ❌ "Happy Birthday! Don't forget to check out our new sale!"

  • ❌ "Birthday discount - 15% off everything plus this gift card!"

9. Time Your Campaigns Appropriately

Consider:

  • Daily campaigns: Best for large customer bases

  • Weekly campaigns: Good for medium-sized lists

  • Monthly campaigns: Suitable for smaller lists or budget constraints

Timing tips:

  • Send early in the day (8-10 AM) so customers see it in morning

  • Avoid weekends if your store is primarily B2B

  • Consider time zones for international customers

10. Plan for Seasonality

Be aware:

  • Some months have more birthdays (August, September typically highest)

  • December birthdays often compete with holiday shopping

  • Summer birthdays may have delayed redemption (vacations)

Adjust accordingly:

  • Budget for seasonal fluctuations

  • Consider longer expiration during busy periods

  • Monitor monthly spend on birthday gift cards

Troubleshooting

"Found 0 customers matching the query"

Possible causes:

  1. Customers aren't tagged with birthdays

  2. Tag format doesn't match query format

  3. Liquid syntax error in query

  4. No customers have birthdays today (for daily campaigns)

Solutions:

  • Verify customers have birthday tags: tag:birthday-*

  • Check tag format matches: birthday-MM-DD with leading zeros

  • Test query with fixed date first: tag:birthday-06-15

  • Check a few customer records manually in Shopify Admin

"Found more than 250 customers"

Possible causes:

  1. Query is too broad

  2. Using wildcard incorrectly

  3. Missing date filters

Solutions:

  • Add more specific filters: AND email_marketing_consent:subscribed

  • Check your Liquid syntax: Make sure date format is correct

  • Verify the query when tested versus when running

  • Segment customers across multiple campaigns

Campaign Isn't Running

Check:

  1. Schedule: Is the next run date/time in the future?

  2. Campaign Status: Is it enabled/active?

  3. Query: Does the test show matching customers?

  4. Subscription: Is your Gift Card Factory subscription active?

Solutions:

  • Check campaign list for status indicator

  • Verify schedule is set to repeat (if needed)

  • Review app subscription status

  • Check for error logs in campaign run history

Gift Cards Created But Emails Not Sent

Check:

  1. Email method: Is it properly configured?

  2. Klaviyo: Is it connected and flow configured?

  3. App Email: Is sending enabled for your account?

  4. Customer emails: Are they valid?

Solutions:

  • For App Email: Check Settings → Email Settings

  • For Klaviyo: Verify API key and flow is active

  • For Shopify Email: Check Shopify notification settings

  • Review campaign run logs for specific errors

Customers Receiving Duplicate Gift Cards

Possible causes:

  1. Multiple campaigns targeting the same customers

  2. Campaign running multiple times due to configuration error

  3. Customer has multiple birthday tags

Solutions:

  • Review all active birthday campaigns

  • Check for overlapping customer queries

  • Audit customer tags for duplicates

  • Ensure repeat schedule is configured correctly

Gift Card Values Are Wrong

Check:

  1. Did you enter the value in your store's currency?

  2. Is the value field formatted correctly (no currency symbols)?

  3. Are you using the correct decimal separator?

Solutions:

  • Enter only numeric values: 10.00 not $10.00

  • Use period for decimal: 10.50 not 10,50

  • Double-check the value before creating campaign

  • Edit campaign to update value if needed

Email Deliverability Issues

Symptoms:

  • Emails going to spam

  • Low open rates

  • Customers reporting not receiving emails

Solutions:

  • Set up custom domain for App Email sending

  • Use your own email service provider (SendGrid, Postmark)

  • Ensure SPF and DKIM records are configured

  • Ask customers to whitelist your sender email

  • Test email in multiple email clients

  • Monitor bounce rates and invalid emails

Wrong Timezone

Symptoms:

  • Campaign running at unexpected times

  • Emails sent in the middle of the night

Solutions:

  • Edit campaign and update timezone setting

  • Verify timezone matches your store location

  • Account for daylight saving time changes

  • Test campaign timing before enabling

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I send different gift card values to different customers?

Not in a single campaign. Create multiple campaigns with different queries and values:

  • Campaign 1: VIP customers → $25

  • Campaign 2: Regular customers → $10

  • Campaign 3: New customers → $5

Can I customize the email template?

Yes! If using App Email:

  1. Go to Settings → Email Templates

  2. Create a custom template or edit existing

  3. Use Liquid variables: {{ customer.first_name }}, {{ gift_card.code }}, etc.

  4. Select your custom template in campaign settings

For other methods (Klaviyo, Shopify Flow), design emails in those platforms.

How much does this cost?

Gift card campaigns cost:

  1. Gift card value - You're giving money to customers

  2. App subscription - Based on your Gift Card Factory plan

  3. Email sending - Usually included; custom domains/providers may have fees

Budget calculation:

  • Estimate daily birthdays: Total customers ÷ 365

  • Monthly cost: Daily birthdays × Gift card value × 30

Example: 10,000 customers, $10 gift cards

  • ~27 birthdays per day

  • ~$8,100 per month in gift card value

What happens if a customer's email is invalid?

  • The gift card is still created in Shopify

  • Email sending will fail (logged in campaign run details)

  • Customer won't receive notification

  • Gift card remains unused unless manually provided

Prevention:

  • Regularly clean your customer email list

  • Verify emails at signup

  • Monitor bounce rates

Can I send birthday cards to customers who haven't purchased yet?

Yes! But consider:

  • Whether this aligns with your strategy

  • The cost vs potential return

  • Adding a purchase requirement to your query: AND orders_count:>0

How do I pause a campaign temporarily?

  1. Go to Campaigns list

  2. Find your birthday campaign

  3. Click to edit

  4. Disable or delete the campaign

  5. To resume: Re-enable or recreate with same settings

Can I see who received birthday gift cards?

Yes! Several ways to track:

  1. Campaign run history shows count and status

  2. Shopify Admin → Products → Gift Cards (filter by creation date)

  3. Gift Card Factory Events log

  4. Customer timeline in Shopify Admin

What if I need to refund a gift card?

Gift cards created by campaigns work like regular Shopify gift cards:

  1. Go to Shopify Admin → Products → Gift Cards

  2. Find the gift card

  3. Disable it to prevent use

  4. Handle refund through normal Shopify processes

Can I send birthday reminders without gift cards?

This campaign always creates gift cards. For reminder-only emails:

  • Use email marketing platform directly (Klaviyo, Mailchimp, etc.)

  • Use Shopify Email campaigns

  • Or set gift card value to $0 (not recommended)

How accurate is the customer matching?

Very accurate if:

  • ✅ Tags are formatted correctly

  • ✅ Query syntax is correct

  • ✅ Liquid templating is working

Always test your query before going live.

Can international customers receive birthday cards?

Yes! But consider:

  • Currency differences (set appropriate values)

  • Time zones (customers get emails at scheduled time in YOUR timezone)

  • Local regulations (some countries regulate gift cards differently)

Best practice: Create separate campaigns for different regions.

What happens if my campaign has errors?

  • Campaign stops executing

  • Error is logged in run history

  • You receive notification (depending on settings)

  • Customers already processed are not affected

  • Fix the error and campaign will resume on next schedule

Can I run multiple birthday campaigns simultaneously?

Yes! You can run multiple campaigns for different segments:

  • Different geographic regions

  • Different customer tiers (VIP, regular, new)

  • Different schedules (daily, weekly, monthly)

Important: Ensure queries don't overlap to avoid duplicates.

Need More Help?

Documentation Resources

Contact Support

When contacting support, include:

  1. Campaign name and configuration

  2. Customer query you're using

  3. Error messages or unexpected behavior

  4. Screenshots if applicable

  5. Expected vs actual results

Congratulations! You're now ready to set up automated birthday gift card campaigns that delight your customers and drive engagement. Start with a simple daily campaign, monitor the results, and optimize based on what you learn. Happy birthday to your customers! 🎉

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