# Scheduled Store Credit
## Scheduled Store Credit
The **Scheduled Store Credit** campaign automatically adds store credit to your customers' accounts on a recurring schedule. Unlike gift cards that require a code, store credit is added directly to the customer's account — no redemption step needed.
This is perfect for:
* Birthday and anniversary rewards
* Loyalty programs and VIP perks
* Seasonal customer appreciation
* Win-back campaigns for inactive customers
* Subscription-style recurring credits
#### How it works:
1. You set up the campaign with your targeting criteria, store credit amount, and schedule
2. The campaign runs automatically at your scheduled time
3. It finds customers matching your query (e.g., customers with a birthday today)
4. It adds store credit directly to each customer's account
5. It sends a notification email with the store credit details
6. Customers see the credit in their account and can use it on their next purchase
### Common Use Cases
**Daily Birthday Store Credit** — Send $10 in store credit to every customer on their actual birthday, every day at 9:00 AM. Store credit is instantly available in their account with no code to remember.
**Monthly Loyalty Reward** — Add $5 store credit to all VIP customers on the 1st of each month. A simple way to reward your best customers and keep them coming back.
**Anniversary Appreciation** — Send store credit to customers on the anniversary of their first purchase. Celebrate milestones and encourage continued loyalty.
**Seasonal Customer Win-Back** — Target customers who haven't purchased in 90+ days with store credit to bring them back.
**Regional Rewards** — Send store credit to customers in specific locations with region-appropriate values and currencies.
### Step-by-Step Instructions
#### Step 1: Navigate to Campaign Creation
1. Open the Gift Card Factory app in your Shopify admin
2. Click **Campaigns** in the left sidebar
3. Click **New Campaign**
4. Select **Scheduled Store Credit** from the campaign type list
#### Step 2: Configure Basic Settings
**Campaign Title**
Give your campaign a descriptive name that helps you identify it later.
**Guidelines:**
* Use a clear, recognizable name
* Include the purpose or audience (e.g., "VIP Birthday Store Credit", "Monthly Loyalty Reward")
**Examples:**
* `Birthday Store Credit - Daily`
* `VIP Monthly Loyalty Credit`
* `Anniversary Appreciation - $15`
**Customer Query**
The customer query is the most important setting — it determines which customers receive store credit each time the campaign runs. Queries use Shopify's customer search syntax and support Liquid for dynamic dates. Read more about Customer Query Selector [here](https://docs.giftcardfactory.app/campaigns/scheduled-store-credit).
**Examples:**
* Birthday today: `tag:birthday-{{ "now" | date: "%m-%d" }} AND email_marketing_consent:subscribed`
* VIP monthly birthdays: `tag:birthday-{{ "now" | date: "%m" }}* AND tag:vip AND email_marketing_consent:subscribed`
* Regional targeting: `tag:birthday-{{ "now" | date: "%m-%d" }} AND country:Canada AND email_marketing_consent:subscribed`
**Tips:**
* Always include `AND email_marketing_consent:subscribed` to respect customer preferences
* Test your query with a single test customer first before activating the campaign
* Campaigns will pause if more than 250 customers match the query to prevent accidental mass sending
#### Step 3: Configure Store Credit Settings
**Store Credit Amount**
The amount of store credit to add to each customer's account. The currency is automatically set to your shop's default currency.
**Guidelines:**
* Consider your average order value (10-20% typically works well)
* Balance generosity with profitability
**Common values:**
* Budget-friendly: $5 - $10
* Standard: $10 - $15
* Premium / VIP: $20 - $50
**Store Credit Expiry**
Choose when the store credit expires. Three options are available:
1. **Never expires** (recommended) — Store credit remains in the customer's account indefinitely
2. **Expires relative to creation date** — Set a number of days, weeks, months, or years after which the credit expires
3. **Expires on a specific date** — Choose a fixed expiration date
**Guidelines for relative expiry:**
* 30 days — Creates urgency, encourages quick purchases
* 90 days — Balanced approach (recommended if using expiry)
* 6 months — Generous, good for customer experience
* 1 year — Very generous, minimal pressure
**Tips:**
* Check your local laws regarding store credit expiration — some jurisdictions prohibit or restrict expiration
* Longer expiration improves customer experience but reduces urgency
* Communicate the expiration clearly in your email template
#### Step 4: Set Up Schedule
**Timezone**
Select the timezone for your campaign schedule. Defaults to your store's primary timezone.
**Start Date & Time**
When the campaign should first run.
**Guidelines:**
* Daily campaigns: Start tomorrow at 8-10 AM
* Monthly campaigns: Start the 1st of next month at 8-10 AM
**Tips:**
* 8-10 AM works well for most e-commerce stores
* Avoid sending in the middle of the night
* Consider when your customers typically check email
**Repeat Schedule**
How often the campaign should run.
**Common configurations:**
* **Daily birthday credits:** Repeat every 1 day
* **Weekly rewards:** Repeat every 1 week
* **Monthly loyalty credits:** Repeat every 1 month
* **One-time:** Don't set a repeat schedule
#### Step 5: Choose Email Delivery Method
Select how customers are notified about their store credit. Unlike gift card campaigns, the **Shopify Email** sender is not available for store credit campaigns.
**Available options:**
* **App Email** (recommended) — Uses the built-in Scheduled Store Credit email template. Fully customizable with the drag-and-drop email editor. Supports Liquid template variables.
* **Klaviyo** — Send notifications through Klaviyo. Requires a Klaviyo API key and an active flow triggered by the "Gift Card Factory - Scheduled Store Credit" metric.
* **Shopify Flow** — Trigger a Shopify Flow when store credit is added.
**Tips:**
* App Email is the easiest to set up and works out of the box
* Use Klaviyo if you want advanced email design and analytics
* You can customize the email template under **Emails > Templates > Campaigns > Scheduled Store Credit**
#### Step 6: Review and Create
Review all your settings and click **Create** to save the campaign. The campaign starts in an **Inactive** state — you need to activate it from the campaign details page.
**Before activating:**
* Test with a single test customer to verify everything works correctly
* Check the email template to make sure it looks right
* Confirm the schedule and timezone are correct
### Email Template Variables
The Scheduled Store Credit email template supports these Liquid variables:
| Variable | Description | Example |
| ----------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------- | --------------------- |
| `{{ issued_store_credit.amount }}` | The store credit amount added | `10.00` |
| `{{ issued_store_credit.currency_code }}` | The currency code | `USD` |
| `{{ issued_store_credit.balance_after_transaction }}` | Customer's total balance after the credit | `25.00` |
| `{{ customer.first_name }}` | Customer's first name | `John` |
| `{{ customer.last_name }}` | Customer's last name | `Doe` |
| `{{ customer.email }}` | Customer's email | `john@example.com` |
| `{{ shop.name }}` | Your store name | `My Store` |
| `{{ shop.url }}` | Your store URL | `https://mystore.com` |
| `{{ shop.email }}` | Your store email | `support@mystore.com` |
Use the `format_money` filter to display amounts with your store's currency format:
```
{{ issued_store_credit.amount | format_money: shop.currency_formats.money_format }}
```
### Examples and Templates
#### Example 1: Simple Daily Birthday Store Credit
* **Title:** Birthday Store Credit - Daily
* **Customer Query:** `tag:birthday-{{ "now" | date: "%m-%d" }} AND email_marketing_consent:subscribed`
* **Amount:** $10.00
* **Expiry:** Never expires
* **Schedule:** Every day at 9:00 AM
* **Sender:** App Email
Every morning at 9 AM, any customer tagged with today's birthday date receives $10 store credit directly in their account.
#### Example 2: Monthly VIP Loyalty Credit
* **Title:** VIP Monthly Loyalty Credit
* **Customer Query:** `tag:vip AND email_marketing_consent:subscribed`
* **Amount:** $5.00
* **Expiry:** 90 days from creation
* **Schedule:** Every month on the 1st at 8:00 AM
* **Sender:** App Email
On the first of each month, all VIP customers receive $5 store credit as a loyalty reward.
#### Example 3: Anniversary Appreciation
* **Title:** First Purchase Anniversary Credit
* **Customer Query:** `tag:anniversary-{{ "now" | date: "%m-%d" }} AND email_marketing_consent:subscribed`
* **Amount:** $15.00
* **Expiry:** 6 months from creation
* **Schedule:** Every day at 10:00 AM
* **Sender:** Klaviyo
Customers receive $15 store credit on the anniversary of their first purchase.
#### Example 4: Regional Birthday Campaign
* **Title:** Canada Birthday Store Credit
* **Customer Query:** `tag:birthday-{{ "now" | date: "%m-%d" }} AND country:Canada AND email_marketing_consent:subscribed`
* **Amount:** $10.00
* **Expiry:** Never expires
* **Schedule:** Every day at 9:00 AM (EST)
* **Sender:** App Email
Canadian customers receive $10 CAD store credit on their birthday.
### Setting Up Customer Tags
For birthday and anniversary campaigns, customers need to be tagged with the appropriate date format.
#### Recommended Tag Format
**Birthday tags:** `birthday-MM-DD` (e.g., `birthday-06-20` for June 20th)
**Anniversary tags:** `anniversary-MM-DD` (e.g., `anniversary-03-15` for March 15th)
**Guidelines:**
* Always use two-digit months and days (e.g., `birthday-01-05`, not `birthday-1-5`)
* Tags can be added manually, via Shopify Flow, through a customer form, or via API
* Make sure the date format in the tag matches the Liquid date format in your query
### Store Credit vs Gift Cards
| Feature | Store Credit | Gift Cards |
| ------------ | ---------------------------------- | ------------------------------- |
| Redemption | Automatic — applied at checkout | Customer enters a code |
| Transferable | No — tied to customer account | Yes — code can be shared |
| Visibility | Shows in customer account page | Customer needs the code |
| Partial use | Remaining balance stays in account | Remaining balance stays on card |
| Expiration | Optional | Optional |
| Best for | Loyalty rewards, account credits | Gifting, promotions with codes |
### Best Practices
1. **Start with a test customer.** Create a test customer with a birthday tag for today, run the campaign manually, and verify the store credit appears in their account and the email is received.
2. **Respect email preferences.** Always include `AND email_marketing_consent:subscribed` in your customer query.
3. **Set appropriate amounts.** Consider your margins and average order value. A credit that's 10-20% of AOV encourages a purchase without eroding profitability.
4. **Monitor campaign runs.** Check the campaign runs page regularly to ensure credits are being sent successfully. Look for skipped customers or errors.
5. **Choose expiry carefully.** If your local laws allow it, a 90-day expiry creates a good balance between urgency and customer experience.
6. **Customize your email template.** Edit the default Scheduled Store Credit email template to match your brand. Mention the store credit amount and how to use it.
7. **Use descriptive campaign titles.** When you have multiple scheduled store credit campaigns, clear titles help you manage them.
8. **Combine with other campaigns.** Scheduled Store Credit works well alongside Birthday Gift Cards — use gift cards for gift-giving occasions and store credit for loyalty programs.
9. **Check your customer tags.** The most common issue is missing or incorrectly formatted tags. Verify tags use the `birthday-MM-DD` format with zero-padded months and days.
10. **Keep queries under 250 matches.** Campaigns will automatically pause if more than 250 customers match the query. If you have a large customer base, consider segmenting by region or customer group.
### Troubleshooting
#### Store credit not being added
**Possible causes:**
1. Campaign is still in **Inactive** state
2. Customer query returns no matching customers
3. Customer tags are missing or incorrectly formatted
4. Campaign has hit the subscription limit
**Solutions:**
1. Go to the campaign details page and activate the campaign
2. Test your customer query in Shopify's customer search to verify it returns results
3. Check that customer tags use the correct format (e.g., `birthday-06-20`)
4. Check your subscription limits under Settings
#### Customer not receiving email notification
**Possible causes:**
1. Customer has no email address
2. Email template is not configured
3. Sender settings are incorrect
4. Email was caught by spam filters
**Solutions:**
1. Verify the customer has a valid email address in Shopify
2. Check that the Scheduled Store Credit email template exists under Emails > Templates
3. Verify your sender settings (App Email, Klaviyo, or Shopify Flow)
4. Check the email deliveries page for bounce or spam reports
#### Campaign showing errors in runs
**Possible causes:**
1. Store credit API error from Shopify
2. Customer query syntax error
3. Network timeout during execution
**Solutions:**
1. Check the campaign run logs for specific error messages
2. Verify your customer query syntax — test it in Shopify admin first
3. If errors persist, try running the campaign again; transient issues usually resolve
### Frequently Asked Questions
**Can I send different store credit amounts to different customer groups?** Yes — create separate campaigns with different customer queries and amounts. For example, one campaign for VIP customers at $25 and another for regular customers at $10.
**Will the same customer receive store credit every time the campaign runs?** Yes, if they match the query each time. For birthday campaigns this is typically once per year. For loyalty campaigns running monthly, the customer will receive credit each month.
**Can I use store credit with Klaviyo?** Yes. Select Klaviyo as the sender and configure a flow triggered by the "Gift Card Factory - Scheduled Store Credit" metric. The event properties include store credit amount, currency, and balance.
**What happens if the campaign finds more than 250 customers?** The campaign will pause and show an error. This safety limit prevents accidental mass sending. Refine your customer query to target a smaller group, or split into multiple campaigns.
**Can I schedule a one-time store credit campaign?** Yes — set up the schedule without a repeat interval. The campaign will run once at the scheduled time and then remain inactive.
**Does store credit work with all Shopify plans?** Store credit requires Shopify to have the store credit feature enabled. This is available on most Shopify plans. Check your Shopify admin under Settings > Payments for store credit options.
### Need More Help?
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