This article explains how Gelato handles product personalization for platforms where the Gelato personalization editor cannot be directly integrated into the checkout process.
Product Personalization Process
While platforms like WooCommerce, Wix, Squarespace, and BigCommerce don't currently support embedding Gelato's personalization editor during checkout, your customers can still add their personal touches after placing their orders. Here's how it works:
Product Listing in Your Store: Create and publish products with personalization options in your store. Ensure you have an active Personalization Studio subscription. Include a clear note on the product page informing customers that they'll receive an email to personalize their item after purchase.
Customer Purchase: The customer places an order for the personalizable product. The order is then sent to Gelato for fulfillment.
Order Received by Gelato: Gelato identifies orders containing personalized products. The order status is set to "Pending Personalization."
Personalization Email Sent: Gelato sends an email to your customer with a unique link to personalize their order. This email is sent from a generic address to ensure deliverability.
Customer Personalizes: The customer opens the link and accesses the personalization editor. They can add their custom text, and images, or make selections based on the options you've provided. After finalizing their design, they click "Complete Personalization."
Order Update and Fulfillment: Gelato receives a notification that the personalization is complete. The order status changes to "Pending Approval" for manual approval workflows or proceeds directly to fulfillment for automatic approval workflows.
Creating Products with Personalizable Elements
You can design products with various personalization options using Gelato's Personalization Studio. Here are some examples:
Products with Customizable Text and Images
The video below demonstrates how to set up a product with personalizable text and a selection of images.
You have the flexibility to create simple or complex personalization options. Each condition can be linked to multiple collections or elements as needed.
Products with Customizable Text Layers
This video shows how to set up a product allowing customers to personalize with their own text:
Testing the Personalization Workflow
Before launching personalized products, it's essential to test the workflow:
Connect your e-commerce store to your Gelato account.
Create a product with personalization options in Gelato and publish it to your store as a draft.
Simulate a purchase by placing a test order from your e-commerce store's dashboard and mark it as paid.
The order will be sent to Gelato with the status "Pending Personalization."
You will receive an email containing a link to the personalization editor.
Use the editor to experience the personalization process from your customer's perspective.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are answers to common questions about the non-automated personalization workflow:
Q: What platforms use this workflow?
A: WooCommerce, Wix, Squarespace, BigCommerce, Shopify and Etsy.
Note: For Etsy & Shopify, you can choose between personalization via the e-mail link - one described in this article or automated personalization in-store. If you are interested in the second method for Etsy please look here: What is Automated Etsy Personalization and how does it work)
Q: When will the email with the link be sent?
A: The Email is sent 15 minutes after receiving an order
Q: Will the email with the personalization link be automatically forwarded to my customer?
A: From April 2022, we send this email directly to your end customers from a generic email address, you will not need to forward them manually.
Q: What about the orders which contain both non-personalized and personalized products
A: The order status remains as “Pending personalization” and the non-personalized products are not sent for fulfillment until the customer completes the personalization.
Q: Will Gelato fulfill the order if my customer doesn’t complete personalization after the email?
A: No, unless you manually approve the order.
Q: I can't find the "allow personalization" option in the design editor
A: This is an option available in the design editor for Shopify stores only. You do not need to click on allow personalization for the text layers you want your customers to be able to personalize. As long as your design contains a condition or collection, the text layer will allow personalization.
Q: Can my customer upload their own images?
A: Currently, this is not possible for non-Shopify platforms. However, our team is working hard on improving the features possible!
Q: Can my customer change their font style or font size?
A: This can currently be achieved by setting up a condition with different options linked to different font styles. At the moment, it is not possible for your end customer to change the font size or style on an ad-hoc basis if not previously configured, however, we have plans to improve this tool moving forward.
Q: What happens if my customer accesses the link again after completing the personalization
A: They will see a message that their product has already been personalized
Q: Does the link expire?
A: Yes, the link expires after 7 days and you will receive another email with a new link
Q: What happens if the customer clicks the expired link?
A: Customer sees a screen with the message that the link is expired.
Q: What will the personalization email look like?
Q: What happens if the customer orders more than one personalized product?
A: If it's one product with quantity 2 or more, we will send one personalization link, and all items will be printed the same. It requires placing separate orders if the customer wants the same personalized product printed in a different manner. If the customer orders two different personalized products in one order, we will send two personalization links.