Gift Subscription
Introduction
Chord allows your customers to purchase a prepaid gift subscription to a person of their choice.
What is a Gift Subscription?
A gift subscription is a one-time payment and non-refundable order created by a customer (purchaser) to a person of their choice (giftee or recipient).
Giftees are not billed for the duration of their gift subscription, but if they want to keep receiving the products after the gift subscription ends, they can create a new subscription.
Purchasing a gift subscription
Visual Flow

Purchaser
The purchaser selects a gift subscription, specifies the quantity and the frequency, and provides the recipient's name, shipping address, email, and an optional gift message. The purchaser is then directed to Checkout, as the gift subscription skips the Cart, using the "Buy Now" flow, and is pre-paid in full in a single transaction. As such, they can only purchase one gift subscription at a time and not add other items to the order.
When the order is complete, the purchaser receives an email to confirm their gift subscription.
If your customer needs to cancel the gift subscription, please contact help@chord.co.
Giftee
The giftee is notified by email when the purchaser submits their gift subscription order and does not need to take any actions to confirm the gift subscription. The gift subscription starts at the time of gift purchase.
An OMS account is created for the giftee if one does not exist and, similarly to your current customer's login, is accessible through the passwordless authenticator. Although the giftee will see the gift subscription in My Account, no modifications will be available.
If the giftee has existing subscriptions along with a gift subscription, they will all display under My Account

Gift Subscription order
Let's look at a gift subscription purchase and how it translates in the OMS.

In this instance, Kyle, the purchaser, buys a gift subscription for the giftee, Courtney.
Kyle's order: You can see that the order is automatically marked as Shipped. This order serves more as a receipt and connects to Courtney's Subscription.

If you have "Require manual approval for shipments in this zone?" set to yes, the orders will not be marked as Shipped but Pending.
Click the 1-month link next to Subscription in the Order Information section.
The Subscription is Active and set to Prepaid.

In the Installments tab, you can see that the first order has been fulfilled.

The Orders tab displays the gift subscription order(s)

Setup in OMS
Right now, no setup is necessary for the OMS.
Emails
When the purchaser submits a gift subscription order, an email confirmation is triggered and sent to them to acknowledge their purchase.
The email contains the order total, gift subscription details, and giftee shipping address.
The email template can be edited in your CMS!
Purchaser email

The giftee is also notified by email that a gift subscription has been created for them. The email contains their shipping address, along with the gift subscription details.
The email template can be edited in your CMS!
Giftee email

The giftee will also be reminded that their subscription orders are coming up if you have Gift Reminders email settings ON. When the gift subscription is about to end, the giftee will be notified by email with the option to create a new subscription.
Segment Events
Definitions of Segment Events:
- Email Order Completed: Fired after the order purchase flow is complete; when the gift subscription is initially purchased, this event is intended for the purchaser; after each subscription installment is created and an order is generated, this event will then be intended for the recipient.
- Email Subscription Installment Created: Fired when a new installment for the gift subscription is created. This event is intended for the recipient.
- Email Subscription Canceled: Fired when the gift subscription installment count has been reached, the subscription will then be automatically canceled. This event is intended for the recipient.
- Email Subscription Generated: Fired when the gift subscription has been created. This event is intended for the recipient.
- Email Carton Shipped: Fired when an order shipment has been fulfilled. This event is intended for the recipient.
- Email Shipment Delivered: Fired when an order shipment has been delivered. This event is intended for the recipient.
Video
Purchasing a gift subscription
Email Template
Name = Order Confirmation Gift Prepaid Subscription Email
Slug = gift_subscription_order_confirmation_email
FAQ/Troubleshooting
Can my customers be eligible for existing subscription promotions with the gift subscription?
Currently, Gift subscriptions do not have access to subscription promotions logic or discount codes.
Does the shipping rate differ from any other subscription or non-subscription orders?
It is recommended that you can define the shipping rate as free or a specific flat rate or any other shipping base calculator of your choice.
What information is required for the purchaser to provide?
Purchaser must provide all necessary recipient information: Gift subscription options such as frequency and installments, name, giftee email, and giftee shipping information, while gift message is optional.
What happens if the information the purchaser has provided is incorrect?
Because gift subscription is a one-time payment and non-refundable order we recommend that you reach out to help@chord.co
Can you cancel a gift subscription the purchaser submitted?
Just like Gift Cards, gift subscriptions are final sales. If a cancellation is needed, please contact help@chord.co; we can assist!
Will the giftee receive a cancelation email if the purchaser needs to Cancel the order?
No, currently only the purchaser will be made aware of the cancelation.
Will the giftee need to take any action to confirm the gift subscription?
No, the giftee is notified by email, and the gift product(s) are shipped to them using the frequency and quantity the purchaser selects.
Is there a limit for the Gift Note?
Yes, for a great user experience we have limited the field to 50 characters.
Is an account automatically created for a gift subscription recipient if one does not exist?
An OMS account is created for the recipient if one does not exist (you can search for them via email address in the OMS).
Can customers buy a gift subscription using Gift Card or Store Credit?
Yes if the purchaser has outstanding store credit on their account (when they claim their gift card, it will create store credit automatically on their account). The store credit amount will also be used towards paying for the order.
Will the gift subscription display in the purchaser’s order history?
No, the gift subscription order will only display in the Giftee's account