Gift cards are a great way to not only increase revenue through sales but to increase your customer base as well. Korona features it’s own fully featured gift card system that is not only easy to set up but easy to use. This page will guide you through setting up the gift card system. This page will also provide steps for using the gift cards to make payments, as well as checking the balance of the gift cards.
Setting Up Gift Cards
To access this wizard, make sure you are on the dashboard of your back office. This screen is normally visible upon logging into the back office. Locate the Getting Started widget and use the three dots at the bottom of it to locate the Gift Card Assistant. Click the large orange button to begin.
If the Getting Started widget is not visible to you, you can make it available by going up to the add widget drop-down menu. This is located in the gray bar at the top of the screen. Open the menu and select Getting Started to have it added to the dashboard. Once it is added, you may position it to your liking by dragging it by the edges of the widget.
Step 1: Number
You will be presented with a screen allowing you to determine whether Korona generates the gift card numbers or if you have preprinted cards with numbers that you would like to use. Select one of the two options. Then, click continue to proceed to step 2.
Step 2: Amount
On this screen, you will be able to specify if the card is a predetermined amount, or if the card’s value can be entered during its sale at the pos terminal. Choose the desired option and click on continue to proceed to the next step.
Step 3: Add gift card to a button layout
This screen will tell you that you will need to add a button to a layout in order to use it at the pos terminal. Click on Continue to advance to the next screen.
On this screen, you will need to do the following.
- Choose a layout to assign the button to use the drop-down menu. If the desired layout is not visible, you may search for it by typing in the name of the layout. Korona will search for it and display the closest matches. From those matches, you will be able to select the layout.
- Customize the appearance of your button. Use the Step 2 box to give your button a name, color, and size.
- Finally, drag your button from the step 3 box over to the layout that you had selected from step 1 and click on continue to proceed to the final step.
Last Step:
This final screen will inform you that the cloud is now ready to finish setting up your cards. Click on Save to begin the process. The process should take no more than a moment or two to complete.
Summary
This screen will inform you that your gift cards are created and ready to go.
Remember to Retrieve Master Data and restart the point of sale software on any terminal that you wish to sell your gift cards on.
Selling Gift Cards at the Point of Sale
Now that we have our gift cards setup, let’s take a look at an example of how they are created at the terminal. In this example, we will be using cards that have numbers preprinted.
We begin by adding our gift card to the receipt by pressing our new gift card button. The screen will ask us for a serial number. In this example, we are using preprinted cards with barcodes, so we scan it. Once it’s added to the list, we then hit the apply button.
On the next screen, we enter in the dollar amount that we wish to add to the card, $25.00. We press the enter key to finish creating our card.
Finally, we press the total button and pay for our card with the desired method. In this instance, we paid in cash.
With Korona, you can easily check the balance of any gift card using either the terminal or the back office. The difference, however, is that the back office will be able to list all of your gift cards and their balance.
Checking Gift Card Balance
Begin by going to the button configurations screen of the back office by navigating to Settings > Button Configurations. From there, select the configuration that you wish to add the button to. In this example, we will be adding the button to the terminal’s main screen. Next to the drop-down in the center of the button preview will be an orange button labeled “Edit” Click that button to access the layout.
Once in the edit layout screen, select an empty slot on the layout. Use the boxes on the left to give your button a name, color, and size. For this example, we are naming our button “Check Prepaid Card”
In the functions box, click on the add function button. In the box that appears, set the Function type to “Function” In the new drop-down that appears, set the value to “Check Prepaid Card” and click on “Add” Once you are done, click on the Save button at the top of the screen.
You may also manually add prepaid cards in the back office by navigating to Sales > Prepaid Cards. Click New and enter in the Amount, Comment, and card Number and click Create. This gift card may now be used at the POS.
Remember to retrieve master data on any terminal that you are adding this button for.
Use at the terminal.
Let’s take a quick look at how this function is used at the POS terminal. On the main screen where we placed our button, we select “Check Prepaid Card. Since we are using the pre-made cards we setup earlier, we will scan the barcode on that card. Korona will then display the available balance of that card.
You can also check the balance of your gift cards from the back office as well.
Checking gift card balance in the back office
To access your pre-paid cards, go to the sales tab on the left-hand side of the screen. Then click on “Prepaid cards” to be taken to a listing of all prepaid cards in the system. The listing will show the number of the card as well as its current value.
Clicking the New button in the gray bar will allow you to create a new gift card from the back office. The More button will allow you to access the Prepaid Card and Prepaid Transaction reports. It will also allow you to access the gift card assistant if desired. Selecting the card will allow you to access it to make any changes necessary on the card. You can also view the POS the card was sold on as well as it’s receipt number.
For using gift cards as charge accounts or house accounts to be paid later by certain customers or business to business transactions we have a way to manage this as well.
Setting up Charge Accounts with Gift Cards
Configuring and Using Charge Accounts
You can refer to our full guide on creating and managing gift cards for usage as Charge Accounts on our related manual page.
We have created our gift cards and have learned how to check the balance of them. Now we are going to set up the ability to use them in our store.
Taking gift card payments at the terminal
Creating the Payment Method
First, we create our payment method in the back office. This is done by using the payment methods screen under settings. Create your payment method. For our example, we are naming it “Gift Card”. Set the currency to what you are processing at the terminal. In this case, we are using USD.
In the payment service drop down select “KORONA Prepaid” Set the processing type to “Default” From there, feel free to customize the rest of the parameters as needed. When you are done, click on the Save button.
Creating the payment method button
Go to the button configuration screen, located in the settings tab of the Korona back office. From there, select the configuration that you wish to edit and enter it. Now, click on the button layouts button. Locate and open the payment layout.
Select an empty slot on the layout and then begin creating your button. For this example, we are making a 1×1 light blue button named “Gift Card”
In the add functions box, click the Add function button. In the popup box that appears, set the Type to “Payment Method” When the payment method drop-down appears, set that to the Gift Card payment method we created earlier. When the button is ready, click on the Save button at the top of the screen.
Remember to Retrieve Master Data and restart the POS Software to add the payment method and the button to the terminal.
Use at the terminal.
Let’s take a brief look at how we will be taking this gift card for payment at the terminal. The cashier has already added the items to the order and is ready to total out the receipt. The cashier hits the total button and is taken to the payment screen. From there, the cashier selects the gift card. They enter the amount that the customer wishes to use. In this case, the customer is paying the entire bill. So that amount is entered.
The cashier now scans the card. Korona processes the payment, deducting the appropriate amount from the card. If necessary korona will return to the payment screen to allow for additional payments. If not, korona will finish the transaction.
If you have set Korona up to print a slip with the balance on the card after the transaction, it will be printed upon processing.
