Gift Note Feature Replacement — Plugin Decision
Meeting date: 2026-04-05
Attendees: Karly Oykhman, Isahaque Mahmud
Client: [1]
Overview
The Loeb plugin, which previously allowed customers to add a physical gift note to their order, is defunct. This meeting finalized a replacement approach using two complementary features to restore the gift note workflow for client contact Lucy.
Lucy's process: she purchases physical cards herself and hand-writes the customer's message — so the site only needs to capture the written message and charge the associated fee.
Key Decisions
| Decision | Detail |
|---|---|
| Replace Loeb with new checkout plugin | A new WooCommerce plugin will capture the gift message at checkout and add a $5 fee to the order total |
| Add product-page checkbox | An "Is this a gift?" checkbox will be added to all product pages to prompt customers early in the purchase flow |
| Dual implementation approved | Both the product-page checkbox and the checkout plugin are needed — the checkbox alone doesn't handle the fee; the plugin alone misses the early prompt |
| ShipStation sync: not pursued | The new plugin does not support syncing gift messages to ShipStation; Karly will manage the workflow change with Lucy directly |
| Plugin cost: free tier first | Start with the free version; premium ($80/year) is pre-approved if specific features require it |
Implementation Details
1. Product Page — "Is this a gift?" Checkbox
- Added to all product pages site-wide
- Purpose: prompt customers to consider the gift note option before reaching checkout
- When checked, surfaces a text field for the gift message and notes the $5 fee
2. Checkout Page — Gift Note Plugin
- Captures the customer's written gift message
- Adds a $5 charge to the order total
- Free version to be installed initially; premium ($80/year) available if needed
ShipStation Integration
Lucy's preference was for gift messages to carry over into ShipStation (used for shipping labels and order fulfillment), as the Loeb plugin had done. The new plugin does not support this integration. Decision: proceed without it — core functionality is the priority. Karly will communicate the workflow change to Lucy.
Action Items
- [ ] Isahaque — Install and configure the new gift note plugin with $5 checkout fee
- [ ] Isahaque — Set plugin copy (message prompt text)
- [ ] Isahaque — Add "Is this a gift?" checkbox to all product pages
- [ ] Isahaque — Use free plugin version; notify Karly if premium features are required
- [ ] Karly — Inform Lucy that gift messages will no longer sync to ShipStation and align on updated fulfillment workflow
Relevant Transcript Excerpts
Karly: "So how Lucy does it right now, even though they had that Loom plug-in, she still will go to, like, the store and just purchase cards. So all we really need from the customer is, like, the written message that they want in the card."
Karly: "I do still think we would need that on the checkout page too, just so it... because right now when I click 'is this a gift,' it says leave a gift note here and then you can create, you'll pay for $5 at checkout with it. So I do think we'll still need that plug-in to charge the $5 at the checkout. So I think both."
Isahaque: "I think in this plugin, we can't do this [ShipStation sync]."
Karly: "Okay. So I can work with her on that then. That's fine."
Related
- [2]