Gift cards are a great tool to spread the word about your store and attract new customers. And with Artisan, you have plenty of room for customization!
Artisan allows for in-house and processor-based gift cards, such as Visa or MasterCard. You can also set up loyalty cards (such as VIP or “Valued Customer” cards) that act as gift cards as well.
Order Your Custom Cards
In-house cards are unique to your business. Many retailers have their cards custom-made to fit their store, usually with their logo and branding.
To start integrating these cards with Artisan, you’ll need to order your own. We work with My Card Market to custom-print your design on plastic, high-quality cards. Ask for the Artisan POS Representative at 1-800-757-1492. We’re here to help if you have any questions.
Barcode vs. Mag Stripe
Artisan no longer supports magnetic stripe gift cards, as EMV chip readers do not use the magnetic swipe method. The first image is an example of a barcode gift card, which Artisan supports. The second image is of a mag stripe gift card.
If you have existing magnetic stripe gift cards, please contact Sales at sales@certek.com.
Barcode Encoding
In order to use gift cards or customer ID cards within Artisan, they must be encoded. Encoding assigns each card its own unique set of characters that Artisan will use to retrieve customer data and card balance. In Artisan, we follow a specific encoding guideline to ensure the cards are setup correctly.
We mainly use Code 128 bar codes, shown in this example:
Code 128 barcodes are generally shorter than Code 39 barcodes. Here is an example of a Code 39 barcode:
To encode your card:
- Ensure there are exactly 8 digits (using leading zeros as necessary) after the # sign.
- Start numbering at “#00001001”. Print the human-readable number below it, without the number sign (i.e. only print the digits), including the leading zeros.
Prompt for Gift Card Number
Before you start selling or accepting gift cards/ID cards, you’ll need to configure a setting in Artisan.
Head to “Program Options” and click on “Business and Financial Settings.”
Click on “Payment Types and A/R Terms.”
Click on “GC (in-house)” and click “Edit.”
Make sure “Prompt for GC Number” is set to “Yes.” Click “Save.”
Selling Gift Cards
To sell gift cards in Artisan, open a new Sales Order.
Click on “Item Search” and type “GC” to narrow your search results.
Select the search result and type in the amount for the gift card. Hit “Finalize.”
Collect the money from the customer once you’re on the payment screen.
Artisan will prompt you for a gift card number.
Scan an unused gift card’s code (or type it in).
Enter a recipient name for the gift card.
Save the card.
Hand the customer the card and receipt.
You can find the list of outstanding GCs by going to “Accounting,” “Credits,” “Coupons & Gift Cards,” and “Gift Cards (Gift Certificates).”
Gift Card Records Screen
The gift card will now show up in the gift card records screen, which shows who bought the card, who it’s for, and what the gift card is worth.
Manually Entering Gift Cards
You might need to manually enter a gift card if you sold this gift card in a previous POS system.
On the Sales Screen, click on the “Gift Card” payment button.
Select “Add A New Record” on the Gift Card record screen.
Select “yes” on the pop-up screen.
Enter the number on the gift card (this should be an 8-digit code).
Enter the amount on the gift card, as well as the issue date, expiration date, and date redeemed. Enter a recipient name. Click “Save.”
The gift card will now be applied to the sale.
View List of Gift Cards
Want to view a list of all gift card records in Artisan?
Click on “Accounting.”
Next, select “Credits, Coupons, and Gift Cards.”
Click on “Gift Cards.“
This opens a list of all of the gift cards you’ve created in Artisan, including the GC number, issue date, amount, redeemed date, person the card is issued to, and expiration date (if applicable).
Redeeming Gift Cards
It’s important to note that gift cards are sold as items and redeemed as payment types.
Once the sale is finalized, choose “Gift Card” from the payment types.
Scan or swipe the gift card, or select a gift card from the “Gift Card/Certificate” records screen.
If the Gift Card Doesn’t Cover the Balance
Artisan will not let you complete the sale until there is enough money to cover the balance. Select another gift card or payment type to add to the sale.
If There is Money Left Over on the Card
There might be times where the gift card covers more than the total sale. There are a few different ways to handle this.
For example: A customer buys an item that’s $49.50 with a $50 gift card. We recommend you use the entire value of the gift card. Hand the customer 50 cents.
You cannot currently reload gift cards within Artisan, though we are working on this feature. For the meantime, you can take the money left over and add it to a brand new gift card for that customer.
Or, if the customer wants store credit instead of money back (or a new gift card), select “Store Credit” instead.
Whenever that customer is pulled up for future sales, a “Store Credit” screen will display at the top. This includes all store credits they currently have.
Setting Up Customer ID Cards
Gift cards and customer ID cards are interchangeable within Artisan. The only difference is what is printed on the card itself–such as “Valued Customer Card.”
When customer ID cards are scanned like an item, it pulls up the customer on the sale.
You don’t have to wait for the customer to hand you their ID card to start scanning items. You can scan the ID card anytime during the checkout process.
Note: Customer ID cards do not display gift cards within Artisan. To solve this, have your customers redeem gift cards as store credit. That way, their credit will appear at the top of the sales screen, as shown above in the article.