Gift Wrapping Options
There are several ways to offer gift wrapping, from a simple free option to a premium paid service with multiple wrapping styles. The right approach depends on your products, margins, and operational capacity.
Free Gift Wrapping
A checkbox at checkout offering complimentary gift wrapping. Good for gifting-heavy brands where it is expected. Build the cost into your product pricing.
Paid Gift Wrapping Add-on
A checkbox that adds a fixed price (typically £3-£5) to the order. Works best for brands with higher-value products where customers are already spending significantly.
Multiple Wrapping Styles
Offer several options at different price points, such as a standard paper wrap at £3 and a luxury box at £8. Requires more operational setup but generates more revenue.
App vs Manual Approach
There are two main ways to implement gift wrapping on Shopify. Each has trade-offs around complexity, cost, and reliability.
Using an App
Apps like Wrapr, Gift Wrap Plus, and Giftit handle the entire flow: the checkbox on the product or cart page, note capture, and order tagging. They typically cost £5-£15 per month. This is the easiest option for merchants without development resources.
Manual via Product + Cart Attributes
Create a "Gift Wrapping" product priced at your desired cost. Add it to the cart via a theme checkbox using JavaScript. Use cart attributes to store the gift note. This avoids an app but requires theme development skills.
Recommendation
For most merchants, a £10/month app is the better investment versus development time. However, if you want the gift wrap option deeply integrated into your theme design, a custom implementation gives more control.
Adding a Gift Note Option
A gift note field lets customers add a personal message to be included with the order. This is separate from gift wrapping and can be offered independently.
Many Shopify themes include a built-in cart note field. This is a generic notes field that appears at the cart page. It works for gift notes but is not specifically labelled as one. To add a dedicated gift note field, either use an app or add a cart attribute field via theme editing.
Gift note content is stored in the order and visible in your admin. Include it in your packing slip template so it is printed and included in the parcel.
Charging for Gift Wrap
When charging for gift wrap, the amount should reflect your actual materials cost plus labour. For a typical small parcel, tissue paper, a ribbon, and 3-4 minutes of wrapping time costs around £1.50-£2.50. Charging £3.95-£4.95 gives a reasonable margin.
VAT applies to gift wrapping services in the UK at the standard 20% rate. Ensure your pricing is VAT-inclusive when displayed to consumers.
Order Fulfilment
Gift wrapping adds a step to your fulfilment process. To keep operations smooth, consider the following:
- •Tag all gift wrap orders in Shopify so they appear as a filtered list in your orders view
- •Customise your packing slip to include the gift note prominently
- •Allocate extra time per gift order in your fulfilment capacity planning, especially in November and December
- •Consider a cut-off deadline for gift wrapping during peak periods
Customer Experience
The best gift wrapping implementations make the option easy to find and clearly explain what the customer will receive. Avoid burying the option deep in the cart page or making it unclear whether the note is included in the price.
Include a photo of your gift wrapping on the product page and cart page. Customers who can see what they are buying are more likely to add it. For premium brands, gift presentation photography can be a strong conversion driver.
