Wasting $224K on Manual Gift Cards? Create Gift Cards & E-Wallets in Odoo 18

E-commerce store runs holiday promotion: "Buy $100 gift card, get $20 bonus." Creates gift cards in Excel spreadsheet. Generates random codes: GC2024-001, GC2024-002... Creates 247 gift cards. Customer buys gift card. Store emails PDF with code. Customer loses email. Calls store: "I can't find my gift card." Store searches Excel for purchase. Takes 15 minutes. Finds code. Re-emails. Customer redeems gift card at checkout. Types code. Store manually checks Excel: Is code valid? Has it been used? What's the balance? Manual verification takes 3 minutes per order. 87 orders weekly use gift cards × 3 min = 261 minutes = 4.35 hours weekly. Customer tries to use partially-used gift card ($50 card, used $20, $30 remaining). Store has no system to track partial redemptions. Tells customer: "Card already used." Customer: "But I only used $20!" Store can't verify. Lost customer. Another customer returns product bought with gift card. Store issues refund. Forgets to restore gift card balance. Customer lost $100. E-wallet scenario: Store offers customer credit (returns, loyalty rewards). Creates "store credit" in spreadsheet. Customer ID: 12345, Credit: $50. Customer places order. Calls to use credit. Store manually looks up customer, applies discount code for $50. Customer moves, changes email. New email not updated in spreadsheet. Can't find credit. Lost $50. Annual cost: $87K manual gift card management + $47K lost/expired cards (not tracked) + $67K customer disputes + $23K abandoned carts (complex redemption) = $224K gift card chaos.

Odoo 18 Gift Cards & E-Wallets fixes this: Enable feature (Website settings). Create gift card program (name, value, email template). Generate gift cards (247 cards, $100 value, 1-year validity, one-click). Send via email (customer receives link, clicks to view balance). Customer redeems at checkout (enters code, balance auto-checked, deducted). Partial redemptions tracked (used $20, $80 remaining auto-updated). E-wallets: Credit customer account ($50 store credit). Customer sees balance in portal. Uses at checkout (auto-applied or code entry). Returns? Credit auto-added to e-wallet. All transactions logged. Reports: Total gift cards sold, redeemed, outstanding liability. Here's how to create Gift Cards & E-Wallets in Odoo 18 so you stop losing $224K annually to manual gift card chaos.

What Gift Cards & E-Wallets Do

Digital payment credits: Create gift card program → Generate cards → Send to customers → Customers redeem at checkout → Auto-track balances → Partial redemptions → E-wallets for store credit → Customer portal access.

Step 1: Enable Gift Cards & E-Wallets

1. Go to Website → Configuration → Settings
2. Scroll to Shop - Checkout Process section
3. Enable Discounts, Loyalty & Gift Card option
4. Click Save
5. New menu appears: Website → eCommerce → Gift Cards & eWallet

Step 2: Create Gift Card Program

1. Go to Website → eCommerce → Gift Cards & eWallet
2. Click New
3. Configure program:
   • Program Type: Select "Gift Card"
   • Program Name: "Holiday Gift Cards 2024" or "General Gift Card"

Gift Card Products

1. Under Gift Card Products section, click Add a line
2. Select gift card products:
   • Create products first (Shop → Products → Create):
     • Product: "$50 Gift Card" (price: $50)
     • Product: "$100 Gift Card" (price: $100)
     • Product: "$200 Gift Card" (price: $200)
   • Add these products to gift card program

Email Template

1. Email Template: Select "Gift Card: Gift Card Information"
2. Template includes:
   • Gift card code
   • Balance
   • Validity period
   • Redemption instructions
3. Customize template if needed (Settings → Technical → Email Templates)

Additional Settings

1. Currency: Select currency (USD, EUR, GBP, etc.)
2. Available On: Check where gift cards can be used:
   • Website (e-commerce checkout)
   • Point of Sale (retail stores)
   • Sales (manual orders)
3. Company: Select company (for multi-company setups)
4. Point of Sale: Select POS locations (if POS enabled)
5. Website: Select website (if multiple websites)

4. Click Save

Step 3: Generate Gift Cards

1. In gift card program form, click Generate Gift Cards button
2. Popup appears with generation options
3. Configure:
   • Generate For:
     • Selected Customers: Choose specific customers (for loyalty rewards, refunds)
     • Anonymous Customers: Generate for sale (customers buy gift cards)
   • Quantity: Number of gift cards to generate (e.g., 247)
   • Value: Amount on each card (e.g., $100)
   • Valid Until: Expiration date (e.g., Dec 31, 2025) or leave blank for no expiry
4. Click Generate Gift Cards
5. Cards generated with unique codes (e.g., GC-2024-AB12CD34)

View Generated Cards

1. Click Gift Cards smart button (shows count, e.g., "247 Gift Cards")
2. List view shows all cards:
   • Code (GC-2024-AB12CD34)
   • Balance ($100.00)
   • Status (Active, Used, Expired)
   • Customer (if assigned)
   • Expiry date

Step 4: Send Gift Cards to Customers

Method 1: Email (Send Button)

1. Open gift card from list
2. Click Send button
3. Email composer opens:
   • Pre-filled with template content
   • Gift card code included
   • Balance shown
   • Redemption link
4. Enter recipient email address
5. Customize message if needed
6. Click Send
7. Customer receives email with gift card details

Method 2: Share Link (Share Button)

1. Open gift card
2. Click Share button
3. Options appear:
   • Full URL (long link)
   • Short URL (create shortened link)
   • Copy link to clipboard
4. Share link via SMS, social media, messaging apps
5. Recipient clicks link → Views gift card balance and code

Step 5: Customer Redeems Gift Card

1. Customer shops on website
2. Adds products to cart
3. Goes to checkout
4. Sees Promo Code / Gift Card field
5. Enters gift card code (GC-2024-AB12CD34)
6. Clicks Apply
7. System checks:
   • Is code valid?
   • Is card active (not expired)?
   • What's the balance?
8. Gift card value deducted from order total:
   • Order total: $150
   • Gift card: $100
   • New total: $50 (customer pays $50)
9. If order < gift card balance:
   • Order total: $75
   • Gift card: $100
   • Deduct $75, remaining balance: $25 (saved for future use)

Partial Redemption Example

Step 6: Track Gift Card Usage

1. After customer uses gift card, balance auto-updates
2. View gift card to see:
   • Current balance
   • Transaction history (orders where used)
   • Dates of redemptions
3. Reports available:
   • Total gift cards sold
   • Total redeemed
   • Outstanding balance (liability)
   • Expiring soon

Step 7: Create E-Wallet Program

E-wallets are customer-specific digital wallets. Use for: Store credit, loyalty rewards, refunds, promotional credits.

1. Go to Website → eCommerce → Gift Cards & eWallet
2. Click New
3. Configure:
   • Program Type: Select "eWallet"
   • Program Name: "Customer Store Credit" or "Loyalty Wallet"
   • eWallet Products: Create e-wallet top-up products (optional, if customers can buy credits)
   • Email Template: "eWallet: eWallet Information"
   • Currency: USD/EUR/etc.
   • Available On: Website, POS, Sales
4. Click Save

Step 8: Generate E-Wallets

1. Click Generate eWallet button
2. Popup appears
3. Configure:
   • Customer: Select specific customer (e.g., John Smith)
   • eWallet Value: Amount to credit (e.g., $50 for return refund)
   • Valid Until: Expiry date or blank for no expiry
   • Description: Reason (e.g., "Refund for returned item", "Loyalty reward")
4. Click Generate eWallet
5. E-wallet created and linked to customer account

Step 9: Customer Views E-Wallet Balance

1. Customer logs into website (My Account)
2. Navigates to eWallet or My Account section
3. Sees e-wallet balance:
   • Current balance: $50.00
   • Transaction history
   • Expiry date (if applicable)

Step 10: Customer Uses E-Wallet

Method 1: Automatic Application

1. Customer shops on website
2. Goes to checkout
3. If e-wallet balance exists, option appears:
   • "Use eWallet Balance: $50.00"
   • Checkbox to apply
4. Customer checks box
5. E-wallet balance deducted from order

Method 2: Manual Code Entry

1. Customer receives e-wallet code via email
2. Enters code in Promo Code / Gift Card field at checkout
3. Clicks Apply
4. E-wallet balance deducted

E-Wallet Usage Example

Use Cases

Gift Cards

• Holiday Promotions: "Buy $100 card, get $20 bonus" (generate $120 card, sell for $100)
• Corporate Gifts: Bulk generate 500 cards, distribute to employees
• Gift Giving: Customers buy gift cards for friends/family
• Event Prizes: Generate cards as contest prizes

E-Wallets

• Refunds: Customer returns product → Credit e-wallet instead of bank refund (faster, encourages repeat purchase)
• Loyalty Rewards: "Spend $500, get $50 store credit" → Auto-credit e-wallet
• Promotional Credits: "First-time customer: $25 credit" → Generate e-wallet on signup
• Compensation: Service issue → Credit $100 to customer e-wallet

Real-World Impact

FAQs