Gift cards are a great way to add a revenue stream for your business and bring in new customers. Jackrabbit Plus makes it easy for parents to buy and redeem electronic gift (e-gift) cards directly from your mobile app!
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We recommend downloading, reviewing, and printing this How to Manage e-Gift Cards with Jackrabbit Plus checklist. |
Set Up e-Gift Cards
The first step in getting set up for e-Gift Cards is to add three drop-down list values to Jackrabbit (Gear icon > Settings > General):
| Drop-down List | List Value to Add |
|
| Category 1 | e-Gift Card Purchases |
Category 1 will organize all e-Gift Card sales for revenue reporting. |
| Transaction Type (Debit) | e-Gift Card Purchased |
This Transaction Type will be used in Jackrabbit when an e-Gift Card is purchased in the mobile app. |
| Transaction Type (Credit) | e-Gift Card Redeemed |
This Transaction Type will be used in Jackrabbit when an e-Gift Card is redeemed in the mobile app. |
Tip: Use the Hide from Customers checkboxes to keep these values from being visible to your customers.
The next setup step is done in the Mobile Inventor App Dashboard on the e-Cards page, where you will set up the e-Gift Cards you'll offer.
During that process, you'll assign Purchase Settings and Redeem Settings, including Debit Transaction Type, Debit CAT1, and Credit Transaction Type (all required fields). These fields must match the drop-down values you added in Jackrabbit in the previous step.
See Setting up a New Gift Card in the Mobile Inventor Help Center for more details on the setup process.
Purchase e-Gift Cards
Click here to watch a short (1:01) video tutorial on purchasing e-Gift Cards
From the Mobile App
To purchase an e-Gift Card in the mobile app:
- Select the Gift Cards option from the app menu.
- Choose Purchase a Card. The e-Gift Card options that were set up in your app's dashboard will display.
- Select Purchase for the desired e-Gift Card.
- An acknowledgment of the purchase explains that all charges for the purchase will be posted to the Parent Portal (family's account); select Continue with Purchase and then Yes to purchase the card.
Important: Payment for the purchase is not automatic; it must be generated in the Parent Portal (My Account) by the app User.
- To complete the purchase, go to My Account. If you are not logged in to your Parent Portal, you'll be prompted to log in now. Select Pay Now below the current balance, choose the e-Gift Card fee, and Pay Now.
What Happens Next?
In Jackrabbit:
- The purchase of the e-Gift Card is posted to the Family record on the Transactions tab. It has been assigned an e-Gift Card ID number, and the User stamped on the transaction is Jackrabbit +/MI.
In the Mobile App:
- The e-Gift Card will now appear in the My Gift Cards section of the app (Menu > Gift Cards > View My Cards) with the option to share or redeem the card.
In the Mobile Inventor App Dashboard:
- The e-Gift Card is assigned an ID and is added to the Gift Cards tab of the e-Cards section in the app dashboard.
From the MI App Dashboard
An e-Gift Card can be assigned to someone directly from the Gift Cards tab of the e-Cards section in the MI app dashboard.
- Select the +Assign Card button.
- From the drop-down list, choose an e-Gift Card and complete the information for the person it is being assigned to. Click Save.
What Happens Next?
The e-Gift Card Assignee:
- An email with activation instructions and an activation link is sent to the person to whom the card was assigned. They will have the option to activate it themselves or forward the email to someone else for them to activate.
In Jackrabbit:
- When an e-Gift Card is assigned to someone from the MI app dashboard, no information is transferred to Jackrabbit.
A Jackrabbit User must post a fee using the e-Gift Card Purchased (Debit) Transaction Type and collect payment for the card. Tip: For tracking purposes, enter the e-Gift Card ID from the app dashboard into the Note field of the transaction in Jackrabbit.
In the Mobile App:
- Once activated, the e-Gift Card will appear in the My Gift Cards section of the app (Menu > Gift Cards > View My Cards) with the option to share or redeem the card.
In the MobiIe Inventor App Dashboard:
- The e-Gift Card is assigned an ID and is added to the Gift Cards tab of the e-Cards section in the app dashboard.
Share e-Gift Cards
Click here to watch a short (1:01) video tutorial on sharing e-Gift Cards
From the Mobile App
Once an e-Gift Card has been added to the My Gift Cards section in the app, it can be shared or redeemed.
To share the card and give it to someone else:
- Select the Gift Cards option from the app menu and choose View My Cards.
- Select Share/Redeem for the e-Gift Card to be shared.
- Select Give and choose your method of sharing, e.g., text message or email; this will provide a link for the e-Gift Card recipient to download or log in to your Mobile Inventor app.
What Happens Next?
In Jackrabbit:
- Jackrabbit is not affected when an e-Gift Card is shared. Nothing is posted to the recipient's account in Jackrabbit until the card is redeemed.
In the Mobile App:
- Once logged in to the app, the recipient will receive a message that the card is now theirs to use, and the card will appear in the My Gift Cards section.
In the Mobile Inventor App Dashboard:
- The Gift Cards tab of the e-Cards section in the Mobile Inventor app dashboard is updated to show that the card has been successfully shared.
Redeem e-Gift Cards
Click here to watch a short (1:01) video tutorial on redeeming e-Gift Cards
From the Mobile App
Once an e-Gift Card has been added to the My Gift Cards section in the app, it can be shared or redeemed.
To redeem the card:
- Select the Gift Cards option from the app menu and choose View My Cards.
- Select Share/Redeem for the e-Gift Card to be redeemed.
- Select Redeem.
- An acknowledgment explains that a credit will be posted to the Parent Portal (family's account); select Redeem Card and then Yes.
What Happens Next?
In Jackrabbit:
- A credit is posted to the Family record on the Transactions tab for the amount of the e-Gift Card redeemed. The e-Gift Card ID is added to the Note field, and the User stamped on the transaction is Jackrabbit +/MI.
In the Mobile App:
- The My Gift Cards section in the app is updated to show that the e-Gift Card has been redeemed.
In the Mobile Inventor App Dashboard:
- The Gift Cards tab of the e-Cards section in the Mobile Inventor app dashboard is updated to show the card has been redeemed.
The Mobile Inventor Help Center provides detailed instructions for purchasing and redeeming e-Gift Cards in the mobile app.
Tracking & Reporting Options
When you offer virtual e-Gift Cards in your Jackrabbit Plus mobile app, it is essential to understand how to track them and report on them.
Within Jackrabbit
Paid Fees
The Paid Fees revenue report will provide information on your e-Gift Card sales during a specific date range.
All payments received for e-Gift Card sales will be grouped into the e-Gift Purchases Category 1 you added in the e-Gift Card setup above. In the Display Settings, select yes for Show Transaction Details to show the Note field where the e-Gift Card ID numbers are displayed.
Deposit Slip
The Deposit Slip report provides details of all e-Gift Cards that were redeemed during a specific date range.
Use the Type (Transaction) Search Criteria to filter the Deposit Slip report to show only the credit Transaction Type you added in the e-Gift Card setup above, e-Gift Card Redeemed. To get complete details, choose to Show each Transaction and Show Notes in the Display Settings.
Search Transactions
From the Transactions menu, Search Transactions can be used to see information on all e-Gift Card transactions for a selected date range. Use the Search Criteria Type (Transaction) to select both the debit and credit e-Gift Card Transaction Types you added in the e-Gift Card setup.
In the Mobile Inventor App Dashboard
Gift Cards Tab
The Gift Cards tab of the e-Cards section in the app dashboard is a register of all e-Gift Card activity.
Important Notes
- It is a recommended practice to regularly report on e-Gift Card purchases to ensure they have all been paid for using Search Transactions filtered for e-Gift Card Purchased transactions and unpaid fees only. If you use ePayments in Jackrabbit, consider scheduling an automatic daily task to process any unpaid transactions with the Transaction Type e-Gift Card Purchased.
- When an e-Gift Card is redeemed in the mobile app, a credit transaction is posted to the Family account. The credit will remain unapplied until a Jackrabbit User edits the transaction and applies it to fees. It is recommended to regularly run Find Unapplied Credits from the Transactions menu to ensure all credits have been applied.
- When an e-Gift Card is assigned directly through the MI Admin panel (+ Assign Card button), no fees are automatically posted in Jackrabbit, i.e., no e-Gift Card Purchased transaction is posted to a family account. A Jackrabbit User must post this fee manually, recording the e-Gift Card's Purchase ID (from the Gift Card tab in the MI Admin panel) in the transaction's Note field.
We've created this video to help you explain the whole process to your customers.
