Managing Physical Gift Card Inventory

This guide covers the end-to-end operational workflow for retailers who sell physical gift cards in-store.

The physical gift card lifecycle

Order cards from manufacturer
         ↓
Receive code file from manufacturer
         ↓
Import codes into GiftCard Hero
         ↓
Cards arrive at store locations
         ↓
Customer purchases card at POS → card is activated
         ↓
Customer uses card at checkout or POS
         ↓
Balance depletes → card fully redeemed

Step 1 — Ordering cards from a manufacturer

Most physical gift card manufacturers provide:

• Pre-printed cards with unique codes (magnetic stripe, barcode, or QR code)
• A CSV or Excel file with all the codes and corresponding serial numbers
• Optional: an activation service (they load the balance, you don't need to)

If using GiftCard Hero for activation, order "unactivated" cards — the balance is $0 until you sell and activate them. This is more secure because a stolen unactivated card is worthless.

Popular physical gift card manufacturers include CPI Card Group, Stored Value Systems, and many regional providers.

Step 2 — Importing codes

When your code file arrives from the manufacturer:

1. Review the file — confirm it has the expected number of unique codes
2. Go to eGift Cards → Physical Cards → Import Codes
3. Upload the CSV
4. Map the code column
5. Set Activation mode to Activate on sale (for unactivated cards) or Pre-activated (if the manufacturer pre-loaded balances)
6. Set the denomination (e.g., $50 per card — or leave blank if cards have variable load amounts)
7. Click Import

Handling multiple denominations in one shipment

If your shipment includes cards of different values (e.g., 500 × $25 cards and 300 × $50 cards), import them separately with the correct denomination setting for each batch.

Step 3 — Distributing to store locations

GiftCard Hero doesn't handle physical logistics — that's your job. Once codes are imported, assign cards to locations using your usual inventory process. Keep a record of which codes went to which location (this helps with loss prevention).

Step 4 — Activating at POS

When a customer buys a physical gift card at the register:

1. Staff scans the barcode/QR on the card using the POS scanner or types the code manually
2. In Shopify POS, the card appears as "unactivated" — staff confirms the sale
3. Shopify charges the customer (e.g., $50)
4. GiftCard Hero activates the card and loads $50 onto the code
5. The card is now a live Shopify gift card the customer can use anywhere

The activation happens automatically when the POS sale is processed — staff don't need extra steps.

Step 5 — Tracking stock levels

GiftCard Hero tracks:

• Total imported codes — all codes ever imported from this manufacturer batch
• Activated — codes that have been sold and activated
• Unactivated — codes not yet sold (available stock)
• Redeemed — codes where balance has reached $0

Use the Physical Cards page as your inventory report. Export to CSV for reconciliation with your physical stock count.

Stock alerts

Set a Low stock alert in Physical Cards settings — you'll receive an email when unactivated codes drop below a threshold (e.g., 50 remaining). This gives you time to reorder before running out.

Loss prevention

Physical gift cards are a theft target. Mitigations:

• Use activate on sale mode — stolen unactivated cards are worthless
• Keep unactivated card stock locked up or behind the counter
• Audit your inventory monthly — compare physical count with GiftCard Hero's "unactivated" count
• If cards go missing, they can be individually disabled in GiftCard Hero before being activated

Reconciliation

Monthly reconciliation: 1. Export Physical Cards → Unactivated codes to CSV 2. Count physical cards in each location 3. Any discrepancy between the system count and physical count warrants investigation

Document and report shrinkage per your internal policy.