Operator context
Longer answer
Gift cards on Shopify Plus are first-class objects with their own data model: code, balance, expiration date, customer association, transaction history. Migration involves loading every active gift card with these attributes from the source platform. Matrixify is the standard tool for the load.
The pre-migration audit identifies the gift-card inventory: total count, total outstanding balance, expiration distribution, and any gift cards with special handling (corporate orders, partial-redemption history, restricted-use). Each of these may need explicit attention beyond the bulk load.
The cutover sequencing is the most important discipline. Gift-card redemptions in flight during the cutover window can produce balance drift between source and Shopify. The mitigation is straightforward: pause gift-card redemptions on the source platform 24-48 hours before cutover, complete the migration with a clean snapshot of balances, then re-enable redemptions on Shopify after cutover. Customer comms explain the brief pause.
Post-migration, the customer-facing redemption flow differs from the source platform. Customers who try to redeem a gift card need to find the new flow. Update the help-centre articles, the post-purchase emails that mention gift cards, and the gift-card balance lookup tool. The work is operationally small but materially affects customer experience continuity.