[ic] Gift Certificates

Ed LaFrance interchange-users@interchange.redhat.com
Mon Apr 8 11:28:01 2002


At 11:10 PM 4/6/2002 -0500, you wrote:
>Hi,
>
>has anyone successfully implemented user-purchasable gift certificates yet?
>
>Can someone point me to any docs on this? I can't find anything on it.
>even the foundation demo doesn't work right in this area.
>
>Thanks,
>
>--
>Rick Bragg

Rick -

I've done it stem-to-stern three times: once in Minivend3, once in IC 
4.6.5, and most recently in IC 4.8.3. - for clients in all three cases.  I 
keep telling myself that I am going to do it once and for all in the core 
CVS so that is will become a standard demo feature, but I have yet to find 
the free time.

The basic approach is this: when the customer puts a giftcert in their 
basket and places the order, an unique, non-serial key is assigned to the 
cert, and it is written to a giftcert table with relevant data (value, etc) 
and a status of 'pending'. Later, when the order line-item containing the 
cert is marked 'shipped' in the UI, the cert status is changed to active 
and an email is sent out to the purchaser automatically, containing the 
cert key, value and instructions for use.

I usually have a page in the catalog where a cert holder can enter a cert 
key and get info on value, status, etc. And of course, there is a 
redemption box on the checkout page for cert holders. They enter the cert 
key and click a button; the order total is reduced by maximum amount of 
cert credit. The actual redemption (and reduction of cert value remaining) 
happens when they order is submitted. The cert is usable until all credit 
is consumed.

- Ed L.


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