Offering online gift cards on your website is a great additional source of revenue, especially for restaurants. Unfortunately, many businesses are unsure of how to implement online gift cards and miss out. TechArk has worked with dozens of restaurants in Hampton Roads and has found multiple solutions for easily adding online gift cards to their new websites. Below we will dive deeper into the methods we have used and the pros and cons of each.
1. External Link
The first method is to incorporate a button on your website that links to a third party gift card service. This requires the restaurant to create an account with the gift card provider prior to implementation.
Pros:
- Quick and Easy
- Third-party responsible for gift card fulfillment, payment processing and delivery
- Security liability is responsibility of gift card service provider instead of the restaurant
Cons:
- Third-party provider fees
- Decrease in profit margin
- User experience suffers due to redirect
2. Onsite Gift Card Processing
The second option is to integrate gift card processing within your website using a payment processor such as PayPal. This can be done by embedding the PayPal API within a form on your website. An account with PayPal is also required prior to implementation for this method. When embedding gift card orders on your site, credit card processing is necessary. TechArk can make sure that the third party provider is still responsible for processing payments, removing PCI compliance responsibility from the restaurant.
Pros:
- User experience is not affected because user does not leave your site.
- PayPal charges minimal fees
Cons:
- More time-consuming and costly to implement
- Restaurant is responsible for security liability
- Restaurant is responsible for gift card fulfillment and delivery (eGift Card or via mail)
TechArk has experience with both methods of incorporating online gift cards. If you are considering adding gift card functionality to your restaurant’s website, contact us to help determine which method would work best for your business.
About TechArk Solutions
For over 10 years, TechArk Solutions has offered website design, digital marketing, and custom software solutions to businesses across the United States and beyond. Headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, the company comprises a global team of experts dedicated to growth, innovation, and quality. To learn more, email hello@gotechark.com or visit https://gotechark.com.
