Why offer gift wrapping in the cart
Many orders are gifts, especially around holidays, birthdays and Mother's Day. Offering wrapping saves the shopper a job and gives you a small extra charge that covers your paper, ribbon and time.
The cart is the right place to ask. On the product page, shoppers haven't decided yet; at checkout, they want to finish quickly. In the cart drawer, they're reviewing what they're buying and can tick one more box without friction.
Your options on Shopify
Shopify doesn't have a dedicated gift wrapping setting. The common approach is to create a gift wrap product with a price and get shoppers to add it to the cart. Some merchants add it as a regular product in a collection, or use a cart note so shoppers can ask for wrapping, though a note alone doesn't charge for it.
| Approach | Charges for wrapping | Easy for shoppers |
|---|---|---|
| Gift wrap as a normal product in your catalog | Yes | Only if they find it |
| Cart note asking for wrapping | No | Yes, but you must check notes manually |
| Nexora Gift wrapping block | Yes, at the product's price | Yes, one button in the drawer |
Whichever route you choose, your packing team needs to see that wrapping was requested. With a product-based approach, the gift wrap appears as its own line item on the order, which is easy to spot when you pick and pack.
Step by step: add gift wrapping to the drawer
- Create the gift wrap product
In Shopify, add a product called
Gift wrapwith the price you want to charge, for example $5, and an image of your wrapping. Make it available on your Online Store. You may want to keep it out of your collections and search so it isn't bought on its own. - Turn on the block
In the Cart editor, switch on Gift wrapping in Extra group and click it.
- Select the product
Under Gift wrapping product, select the gift wrap product you just created.
- Write the description
In Content, explain what's included and the price, for example
We'll wrap your order in recycled paper with a ribbon. $5 per order. - Edit the labels
Set Extra item text (the toolbar button name, default
Gift wrap), Button add gift wrapping and Button close. - Save and test
Click Save. On your store, open the drawer, click the gift wrap button, then Add gift wrapping. The button changes to Remove gift wrapping once it's in the cart.
Settings reference
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Gift wrapping product | The product added to the cart when the shopper chooses wrapping. Its price is what they pay. |
| Content | The description shown in the gift wrap panel. |
| Extra item text | The name of the toolbar button that opens the panel. |
| Button add gift wrapping | The label on the add button. |
| Button close | The label that closes the panel. |
The block adds one unit of the gift wrap product to the order. If you want to charge per item, say so clearly in Content and handle it with your own pricing, for example a higher flat price.
Example: holiday wrapping with a gift message
- Product:
Holiday gift wrap, $6, with a photo of the wrapped box. - Extra item text:
Gift wrap. - Content:
Wrapped in our seasonal paper with a handwritten tag. Add your message in the order note. - Cart note block on, with Extra item text
Gift message, so shoppers can write the message for the tag.
After the holidays, check the Cart Addon card on Analytics to see how many orders added wrapping and the revenue it brought in. Turn the block off in January if you only offer seasonal wrapping.
Seasonal variations
- Everyday: a plain kraft wrap at a low price, with Content that describes the paper and ribbon.
- Holiday season: swap the selected Gift wrapping product for a seasonal product with festive paper and a different price, then switch back in January.
- Premium: a gift box product at a higher price for stores selling jewellery or watches.
Changing the selected product is quick, so you can keep several wrap products in Shopify and choose which one the drawer offers. Only one product is offered at a time.
Tips and common mistakes
- Block shows nothing: select a product under Gift wrapping product; the block needs one to work.
- Product isn't available: the gift wrap product must be active and on the Online Store channel.
- Shipping weight: if you charge shipping by weight, set the gift wrap product's weight to zero or a small realistic value.
- Inventory: turn off inventory tracking for the gift wrap product, or keep enough stock, so it never shows as sold out.
- Translations: translate the gift wrap text for other languages on the Translations page.
For gifts you give away rather than sell, use Free gifts instead.
Frequently asked questions
How much does gift wrapping cost the shopper?
Whatever price you set on the gift wrap product. The block adds that product to the cart.
Can shoppers add a gift message?
Yes, use the Cart note block alongside gift wrapping. The note is added to the order so you can see it when fulfilling.
Can shoppers remove the wrapping again?
Yes. Once it's added, the button in the panel changes to remove it.
Does the gift wrap product appear in my store?
Only where you put it. You can leave it out of your collections and search so it's only added from the drawer.
Is wrapping charged per item or per order?
The block adds one unit of the gift wrap product, so by default it works as a per-order charge.
