Gift Messaging Analytics: What to Track and Why
Data-driven decisions lead to better gift experiences. Here's how to measure and optimize your gift messaging program.
You've implemented gift messaging—great! But how do you know if it's working? And more importantly, how do you make it work better? The answer lies in tracking the right metrics and using that data to continuously optimize.
Core Gift Messaging Metrics
Start with these foundational metrics to understand your gift messaging performance:
1. Gift Order Rate
Gift Order Rate = (Orders with Gift Messaging ÷ Total Orders) × 100
Benchmark: 15-30% depending on product category. Higher for jewelry, home goods, and specialty foods.
2. Gift AOV Premium
Gift AOV Premium = Gift Order AOV - Standard Order AOV
Benchmark: Gift orders typically generate 20-40% higher AOV than self-purchases.
3. Add-on Attachment Rate
Add-on Rate = (Gift Orders with Wrapping/Cards ÷ Total Gift Orders) × 100
Benchmark: 40-60% of gift orders should include paid add-ons if you offer them.
4. Gift Message Completion Rate
Completion Rate = (Orders with Personalized Messages ÷ Orders with Gift Option Selected) × 100
Benchmark: 80%+ of customers who select "This is a gift" should complete the message field.
Advanced Analytics
Seasonal Patterns
Track gift order rates across the year to identify:
- Peak gifting seasons (Q4 holidays, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day)
- Unexpected gifting moments in your category
- Day-of-week and time-of-day patterns
- Lead time preferences (how far before occasions people order)
Example Insight
"Gift orders spike 14 days before Mother's Day, with a secondary peak 3 days before from last-minute shoppers. We should launch our Mother's Day campaign 3 weeks out and have expedited shipping ready for the rush."
Product-Level Gift Analysis
Understand which products are most commonly gifted:
- Gift rate by product: Which items are most often marked as gifts?
- Gift-driven discovery: Are certain products primarily purchased as gifts?
- Bundle opportunities: What do gift buyers commonly purchase together?
Message Template Performance
If you offer message templates, track:
- Template usage rate (what % use templates vs. custom messages)
- Most popular templates by occasion
- Template modification rate (do people customize them?)
- Impact on conversion (do templates increase gift order completion?)
Customer Acquisition Metrics
Gift orders can double your customer acquisition. Track:
Recipient Email Capture Rate
What percentage of gift orders include recipient email addresses? This is your opportunity for new customer acquisition.
Recipient-to-Customer Conversion
Of captured recipients, how many:
- Open your recipient notification email
- Visit your website
- Make their own purchase
- Become repeat customers
Recipient Conversion Funnel
100 Gift Recipients with Email
→ 65 Open Gift Notification (65%)
→ 30 Visit Website (46% of openers)
→ 8 Make Purchase (27% of visitors)
= 8% Recipient-to-Customer Rate
Setting Up Your Analytics
Tag Your Gift Orders
Ensure all gift orders are tagged in your Shopify admin for easy filtering:
- Use order tags like "gift-order" or "includes-gift-message"
- Tag orders with add-ons separately: "gift-wrap," "gift-card"
- Consider occasion-based tags: "birthday-gift," "holiday-gift"
Create Saved Reports
Build reports in Shopify or your analytics platform:
- Weekly gift summary: Order count, revenue, AOV
- Monthly trend report: Gift rate over time
- Seasonal comparison: This year vs. last year for key periods
- Product performance: Most-gifted items ranking
Using Data to Optimize
Low Gift Order Rate?
If your gift order rate is below 15%, consider:
- Making gift options more visible on product pages
- Adding "Send as a gift?" prompt in cart
- Featuring gift messaging in email marketing
- Creating dedicated "Gifts" navigation/collections
Low Add-on Attachment?
If few gift orders include add-ons:
- Pre-select basic gift wrap as default
- Show gift wrapping visuals prominently
- Offer bundle pricing for wrap + card
- Position add-ons as expected, not optional
Low Message Completion?
If many gift orders lack personalized messages:
- Provide more message templates
- Reduce message field friction
- Show example messages for inspiration
- Make the field feel less intimidating
Benchmarking by Industry
| Category | Gift Rate | AOV Premium |
|---|---|---|
| Jewelry | 30-45% | +25-35% |
| Home Décor | 25-35% | +20-30% |
| Beauty/Skincare | 20-30% | +25-40% |
| Food/Beverages | 25-40% | +15-25% |
| Apparel | 15-25% | +10-20% |
| Electronics | 10-20% | +5-15% |
Building a Gift Analytics Dashboard
Create a dashboard that surfaces key metrics at a glance:
Daily Snapshot
Gift orders today, gift revenue, gift rate
Weekly Trends
Gift rate trend, AOV trend, add-on attachment
Monthly Summary
Total gift revenue, new recipients captured, conversion rate
Seasonal Comparison
This period vs. same period last year
Start Tracking Today
You can't improve what you don't measure. Start with the core metrics—gift order rate, AOV premium, and add-on attachment—then expand your tracking as you optimize.
The merchants who treat gift messaging as a data-driven program, not just a feature, see the highest returns.
Built-In Gift Analytics
WithGifted includes comprehensive analytics dashboards tracking gift order rates, AOV lift, and add-on performance automatically.
Install WithGifted Free →
