How Ribbon Works 🎀

Ribbon operates with two order system to keep orders partitioned and organized. This system ensures a seamless experience for both buyers and recipients while maintaining efficiency for merchants. Here's a breakdown of the two orders:

1. Gift Purchase Order (When someone purchases a gift for someone else)

This order records the initial purchase of a gift by the buyer, capturing payment and basic details required to generate a unique gift link.

• What It Includes:
  • Virtual SKU: Ribbon creates a placeholder "virtual SKU" representing the gift. This SKU is not tied to specific inventory details like size or shipping.
  • Gift Link: The system generates a unique URL (gift link) for the recipient to redeem the gift.
  • Payment Processing: The buyer pays for the gift during checkout, which includes the product price, shipping (if applicable), and any added charges.

• Workflow:
  • The buyer selects a product and opts to send it as a gift.
  • Ribbon converts the product selection into a virtual, non-fulfillable SKU.
  • The buyer completes the payment, and Ribbon generates a gift link.
    • Depending on how the purchaser has chosen to send the gift, it will either be sent directly to the recipient by Ribbon or delivered to the purchaser via email and they can share it on their own accord.

• Merchant’s View:
  • This order appears in Shopify backend but is marked as fulfilled immediately to help ensure it's not fulfilled. Note: you can also automatically tag the gift purchase order via Gift Plan settings if there's any additional tags you'd like to add to this order to adhere to any existing processes.

2. Gift Redemption Order (When someone redeems the gift)

This order is created when the recipient redeems their gift by clicking the link provided by the buyer. It ensures accurate fulfillment based on the recipient's preferences.

• What It Includes:
  • Recipient Preferences: The recipient provides critical details such as:
    • Size
    • Color
    • Shipping address
  • Real SKU: Ribbon generates an order for the actual physical product (linked to the merchant’s inventory) based on the recipient's choices.
  • Fulfillment Details: The order contains all the necessary details for the merchant to fulfill it seamlessly.

• Workflow:
  • The recipient clicks the gift link and is directed to a personalized redemption page embedded inside of your site.
  • They select their preferences (e.g., size, color if applicable) and provide their shipping address.
  • Ribbon generates a new order in the merchant’s system, which includes the actual product SKU and recipient details.
  • The merchant fulfills this order just like any standard purchase.
  • The recipient gets an order confirmation email

• Merchant’s View:
  • This order looks like any typical order in the merchant’s system.
  • It reflects the recipient’s preferences and shipping information, making fulfillment straightforward.

After understanding how Ribbon works, learn how to enable key features such as the 'Give as Gift' button. Check out our Enabling the "Give as Gift" Button guide for details.