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Offer Gift Cards for Out-of-Stock Items

Offer customers gift cards when items are out of stock, encouraging them to complete a purchase even if their preferred item isn’t available

Written by Emilie Levenbach

In this article, you'll learn:

  1. How offering gift cards for out-of-stock items works

  2. How to activate this feature in your store

  3. FAQ


How offering gift cards for out-of-stock items works

This feature allows you to automatically offer customers the option to purchase a gift card when a product is out of stock.
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When an item is unavailable, a Send a Gift Card Instead button will automatically appear on the product page. Clicking the button will redirect the customer to your gift card page, where they can purchase a gift card instead of the out-of-stock item.
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How to activate this feature in your store

Note: Due to recent updates in Shopify's accessible technology, the setup process has changed, and merchants who installed Rise from October 2026 onwards will now use a new method based on a Shopify app extension.
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Please expand the section below that matches your original installation date to view the correct instructions for your store.

Expand here if you've installed Rise from October 2026 and on

To activate the button that will automatically appear when a product is out of stock, follow these steps:

Go to your Rise dashboard → Click on the Gift Card Settings tab (configuration wheel) → Scroll down, the bottom find Offer gift cards instead of out of stock products, and click 'Enable on Shopify':

You will then be redicted to the extension page in your Shopify admin. In there, first define your preferred settings, and then click 'Save':

  • Button Text: Customize the exact call-to-action phrase your shoppers see, such as "Send a Gift Card instead".

  • Show Button When: Choose to offer the gift card only when "All variants are out of stock," or as soon as a "Selected variant is out of stock".

  • Excluded Products: Handpick specific items that should never display the alternative gift card offer.

  • Excluded Collections: Hide the gift card button across entire product collections at once.

  • Button Placement: Choose to position the new button neatly either "Before" or "After" the purchase button.

Expand here if you installed Rise before October 2026


To activate the button that will automatically appear when a product is out of stock, follow these steps:
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Go to your Rise dashboard → Click on the Gift Cards tab → Select Gift Card Product→ Scroll down and toggle on the Offer gift cards instead of out of stock products feature.

Once enabled, there’s no need for further customization. The button will automatically appear on any product page when the item is out of stock and will be styled to match your store’s Add to Cart button.
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​Important: If you're using other apps that modify how out-of-stock products behave in your store (such as preorder or restock alert apps), they may interfere with how Rise detects and displays the gift card button. We recommend testing this feature with your current setup to make sure it works as expected.

FAQ

  • Will updating the gift card page URL affect the button?
    No, the button will continue to link correctly to your gift card page.
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  • Can I exclude certain products from showing the button?
    This option is only available if you installed Rise from October 2026. It will be released to all merchants in during Q1 2027.

  • Will the button appear in quick view popups?

    Currently, the button will not appear in quick view.
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​Have more questions or any product feedback?

Feel free to contact us at info@rise.ai or in the chat box

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