Gift Card Balance Reminder Emails For Shopify
A Shopify gift card can bring customers back for multiple purchases, but they may forget about an unused balance. Gift card balance reminder emails keep that value visible and give customers a timely reason to return.
GV helps Shopify merchants automate balance and expiry reminders throughout the gift card lifecycle, from the initial purchase to the final redemption. So, merchants can turn forgotten gift card balances into new shopping opportunities and repeat sales.
Why Shopify Gift Cards Need Reminder Emails
The initial gift card transaction is only the beginning of the customer journey.
Consider a customer who receives a $100 gift card. A few weeks later, the customer uses $60 to purchase a product. The remaining $40 does not disappear, but the customer may not remember it.
This case raises a challenge for merchants. The customer already has a reason to return, yet the customer may not have the balance in mind when deciding where to shop next.
A promotional email can remind customers that a store exists, but a gift card reminder has a much stronger context. The customer already owns store value.
The reminder, therefore, connects three things that might otherwise become disconnected:
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The customer who has already interacted with the store
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The remaining gift card balance that still has purchasing value
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The next shopping opportunity that can turn that balance into another order
Shopify supports gift card redemption across online stores and Shopify POS, while customers can use a gift card across multiple orders when a balance remains.
The missing piece for many merchants is keeping that remaining balance visible.
The Shopify Gift Card Lifecycle
A gift card reminder strategy makes more sense when the entire customer journey is viewed as one connected lifecycle.
Purchase: A customer buys a gift card
The journey starts when someone purchases a gift card.
The purchaser may buy the gift card for a friend, family member, employee, or even for personal use. GV supports digital gift cards with custom values, gift messages, and delivery options, giving merchants flexibility in how they present the gift.
At this point, the merchant has completed the initial sale, but the recipient has not necessarily become a customer yet.
The gift card, therefore, brings an opportunity for a future relationship.
Delivery: The recipient receives the gift
The recipient receives the gift card and gains access to its value.
This stage introduces the recipient to the store. However, receiving a gift card does not guarantee an immediate purchase. Some recipients may shop straight away, while others may wait weeks or months.
That difference makes follow-up communication important.
Redemption: The customer uses part or all of the balance
The next step occurs when the recipient visits the store and redeems the gift card.
The customer may spend the entire amount on a single order. Alternatively, the customer may spend only part of it, leaving a remaining balance.
The second scenario creates the most important opportunity for balance reminders.
For example, a customer with a $100 gift card may spend $70 during the first purchase. The customer still has $30 available, but nothing guarantees they will remember that balance later.
Balance reminder: The store brings unused value back to attention
This is where gift card balance reminder emails become useful.
The reminder tells the customer that money remains available on the gift card. Instead of sending a broad promotional message, the merchant communicates something directly relevant to the customer's existing relationship with the store.
The message can effectively answer a simple question:
“Do you remember that you still have money to spend here?”
This reminder can bring the gift card back into the customer's consideration when the original purchase is no longer top of mind.
Industry benchmark data provides some indication of the potential. One third-party benchmark reports approximately 35–45% open rates for gift card balance reminder emails and estimates that these emails account for 15–25% of unused gift card redemptions.
These figures represent industry-level benchmarks rather than guaranteed results for every Shopify store.
Expiry warning: The reminder becomes more urgent
A balance reminder and an expiry reminder serve different purposes.
The balance reminder answers “What value do I still have?”
The expiry warning answers “How much time do I have left to use it?”
When a gift card approaches its expiration date, the customer has a stronger reason to act. An automated gift card expiry reminder can communicate the remaining balance and the upcoming deadline.
This timing matters because customers often postpone purchases when there is no immediate reason to act. An approaching expiration date changes the situation by giving the customer a specific reason to return.
Shopify supports gift card expiration dates, while its current feature documentation does not list automated reminder emails as part of the native gift card functionality.
Redemption: Unused value becomes another purchase
The lifecycle ends when the customer returns and redeems the remaining balance.
The result can be particularly valuable when the customer's order exceeds the available balance on the gift card.
For example, a customer receives a $30 reminder and discovers a $50 product. The gift card covers $30, while the customer pays the remaining $20.
In this situation, the reminder does two things at once. It helps recover unused gift card value and creates another opportunity for the merchant to generate revenue.
The same principle can apply to customers shopping through physical stores. Shopify supports gift card redemption through Shopify POS, making the lifecycle relevant to merchants operating across both online and offline channels.
How GV Supports the Reminder Lifecycle
GV integrates the gift card journey into a broader customer retention system.
The platform allows Shopify merchants to sell digital gift cards, manage store credit, provide cashback rewards, and support loyalty incentives.
Its gift card functionality includes custom values, gift messages, delivery options, balance tracking, and online and Shopify POS experiences.
The important point is that GV does not treat the gift card as a single transaction.
The platform helps merchants maintain the relationship after the gift card purchase.
A typical GV journey can look like this:
Purchase → Delivery → Redemption → Remaining balance → Balance reminder → Expiry warning → Final redemption
Each stage has a different purpose.
The purchase creates the stored value.
The delivery introduces the recipient to the store.
The first redemption turns the recipient into a shopper.
The balance reminder keeps unused value visible.
The expiry warning creates urgency.
The final redemption brings the customer back for another transaction.
This sequence provides merchants with a more comprehensive way to manage gift card balances.
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Balance Reminders vs. Promotional Emails
Gift card reminders have one important advantage over ordinary promotional emails: the customer already has purchasing power.
A promotional email might say that a product is 20% off. The customer still needs to decide whether the offer is attractive enough to make a purchase.
A balance reminder starts from a different position.
The customer already owns $30, $50, or $100 in store value. The email simply reminds the customer that the value exists.
That distinction can make the message more relevant.
The reminder also avoids relying entirely on discounts. The merchant does not necessarily need to reduce product prices to encourage another visit because the gift card itself provides the purchasing incentive.
How Reminder Emails Support Customer Retention
The value of gift card reminders extends beyond individual redemptions.
A customer who returns to redeem a remaining balance has another opportunity to discover products, interact with the brand, and make a purchase. That interaction can create the foundation for future purchases even after the gift card reaches zero.
GV strengthens this retention strategy by allowing gift cards to work alongside store credit, cashback, and loyalty rewards.
For example, a merchant might issue store credit after a refund, award cashback after a purchase, and use loyalty rewards to encourage repeat shopping. Gift cards then become another form of stored value within the same retention strategy.
The broader objective is straightforward: give customers a reason to come back and make that reason visible at the right time.
Why Automated Reminders Matter
Manual follow-ups become difficult as a store's customer base grows.
A merchant with hundreds or thousands of gift card holders cannot realistically check individual balances and remember when every customer needs a reminder. Automation solves that operational problem by linking customer communication to gift card activity.
The merchant can focus on the overall strategy while the system handles the timing.
This approach also creates a more consistent customer experience. Customers with remaining balances receive relevant communication, rather than relying on chance or memory to discover their unused value.
For merchants, that consistency matters because every forgotten balance represents a missed opportunity for another customer interaction.
Final Thoughts
Gift card balance reminder emails are a part of the Shopify gift card lifecycle that merchants can easily overlook.
A gift card begins with a purchase, but its customer value can continue through delivery, redemption, a remaining balance, and another purchase. Balance reminders keep unused value visible, while a gift card expiry reminder gives customers an additional reason to act before the available value expires.
GV supports this entire journey with digital gift cards, balance tracking, automated reminders, store credit, cashback, loyalty rewards, and Shopify POS support.
Instead of treating a gift card as a one-time sale, merchants can view it as an ongoing opportunity for customer engagement. The right reminder at the right moment can help turn forgotten balances into gift card redemption, repeat visits, and additional sales.
FAQ
What is a gift card balance reminder email?
A gift card balance reminder email tells a customer that unused value remains on their gift card. The reminder can encourage the customer to return to the store and redeem the available balance.
What is a gift card expiry reminder?
A gift card expiry reminder informs customers that their remaining gift card balance will expire soon. The approaching deadline can create urgency and encourage customers to complete a purchase.
Can Shopify gift cards be used more than once?
Yes. Shopify gift cards can be used for multiple purchases as long as a balance remains. Customers can redeem the available value through supported online checkout experiences and Shopify POS.
