Overview

For retailers migrating their ecommerce operations to Shopify, ensuring an uninterrupted customer experience is critical. Being able to buy or redeem a new gift card on any channel—whether in-store or online—has become an essential requirement.

P3 recognized this need and built a custom app called Cardloop that integrates with both Shopify and Square, allowing retailers to bridge the gap between the two platforms and deliver a seamless gift card experience.

The Challenge

When you’re transitioning to a new ecommerce platform—especially one as robust as Shopify—maintaining a consistent customer experience can feel like juggling plates. While Shopify excels at online sales, many retailers still rely on Square in their brick-and-mortar locations. But using separate systems for your digital and physical POS creates a big challenge: How to make gift cards purchased in your physical store work seamlessly on your new (or migrating) Shopify store—and vice versa? Solving this problem requires addressing two key issues:

1. Dual Environments
   Retailers can’t just “pause” their existing in-store operations to accommodate an ecommerce migration. They need both environments running simultaneously—Square must keep functioning while Shopify is being implemented or ramped up.
   
   

2. Risk of Delayed Sync
   Solutions that rely on delayed data synchronization open the door to abuse. If there’s a time gap between a gift card balance updating in one system vs. the other, a gift card might be redeemed twice or not recognized at all.
   
   

Retailers need a frictionless migration process that doesn’t compromise the customer experience. That’s where P3’s custom app, Cardloop, comes in.

The Solution

Cardloop provides real-time gift card synchronization between Square and Shopify. By leveraging both platforms’ APIs, the app ensures that any gift card purchase—no matter where it happens—reflects accurately across all channels:

1. Immediate Cross-Channel Usage
   1. A Shopify-purchased digital gift card can be redeemed instantly in-store through Square.
   2. A Square-purchased physical gift card can be redeemed on your Shopify store just as effortlessly.
      
      
2. Frictionless Migration
   Whether you’re in the midst of migrating to Shopify or fully operational, you can continue to sell, redeem, and manage gift cards without having to reinvent your processes. The Cardloop app sits at the crossroads between Square and Shopify, creating a single source of truth for all gift card balances.
   
   
3. Protecting Your Bottom Line
   Because the Cardloop app syncs gift card information in real time, it minimizes the risk of fraudulent transactions. Customers (and potential bad actors) cannot exploit timing gaps to redeem a single gift card balance multiple times.
   

How It Works

1. Real-Time Data Pipeline
   The Cardloop app uses Shopify’s APIs and Square’s gift card API to create a secure pipeline of information. As soon as a gift card is created or updated in Shopify, Square is notified—and vice versa.
   
   
   
2. Continuous Synchronization
   Each gift card record (including its balance, expiration, and usage history) is mirrored between both platforms, ensuring no delay. It’s all about up-to-the-minute accuracy.
   
   
   
3. Instant Redemption Across Channels
   1. When a customer buys a digital gift card on Shopify, the app instantly registers that card in the Square system. So if the customer walks into the store five minutes later, your cashier can scan or enter the gift card number, and the system recognizes the correct balance immediately.
      
   2. Conversely, if a physical gift card is bought at the register using Square, the customer can head to your website and make a purchase right away, without any hurdles.
      
      

Why You Need It

1. Purpose-Built for Retailers in Transition
   We understand that a migration to Shopify doesn’t happen overnight. Our app is specifically designed to support businesses that need to keep their existing Square infrastructure running without compromises.
   
   
2. Faster Implementation, Lower Overhead
   Compared to building your own integration—or struggling with half-baked solutions—P3’s app can be deployed quickly and seamlessly, saving you time and money in the long run.
   
   
3. Fraud Prevention and Peace of Mind
   Delayed syncing is one of the most common ways retailers lose money on gift card fraud. Our real-time approach substantially reduces this risk, giving you (and your customers) peace of mind.
   
   

Pricing & Onboarding

• One-time implementation fee: $2,500
  This covers setup, configuration, and any training necessary for your team to get up and running with the new app.
  

• Monthly subscription: Starting at $500
  This includes ongoing app usage, real-time syncing, and periodic updates to ensure compatibility with evolving Shopify and Square APIs.
  
  

Ready to Elevate Your Gift Card Experience?

If you’re ready to seamlessly merge your in-store and online gift card systems—or if you’re planning to migrate to Shopify and can’t afford to disrupt your existing operations—P3’s custom Square-Shopify gift card integration is the perfect fit. It’s a solution designed by retailers, for retailers, to ensure that your customers’ experience remains top-notch whether they shop online, in-store, or both.

Get in Touch

Submit the form on this page to book a free demo and discuss implementation specifics for your business. We'll walk you through how Cardloop can transform your Shopify transition and gift card program.