How do I set up the gift card integration with Intersolve in RetailVista?

This document describes the setup of a digital gift card integration with Intersolve in RetailVista. The 'Fleurop' gift card is used as an example. This instruction contains explanations for the cashier and instructions for the office on setting up RetailVista.  

RetailVista is suitable for handling various types of gift cards. However, in this documentation, 'Gift card' refers to the Intersolve gift card and Fleurop is sometimes used as an example.

Office instruction

The gift card extensions are available from RetailVista version 2.188 and higher. The version number of RetailVista can be found at the bottom of the RetailVista login screen and within RetailVista via Help, General information.

If you do not have this version of RetailVista yet, first perform a RetailVista LiveUpdate or contact NedFox for an update. This document assumes that the procedure for an update is known.

Within RetailVista POS (cash register), version 2.1.4834 or higher is required. You can find this version in the title bar of RetailVista POS. If version 2.1.4834 has been released by NedFox, this will be mentioned when starting the cash register.

In order to use the gift card functionality, it is important that the Intersolve gift card interface license is present in RetailVista.

First, check the license via "Help, General information". The license 'Intersolve Gift Card Interface' should be listed in the license modules list. Contact NedFox if this is not the case.

Many types of gift cards are executed with an Ean128 barcode. The handheld scanner used must be able to scan Ean128 barcodes.

In many types of scanners, this is possible, but it needs to be activated in the scanner. For most scanners supplied by NedFox, a 'scansheet' is available. This sheet contains a number of barcodes that need to be scanned in sequence to activate Ean128. Contact the support desk of RetailVista to find out if a scansheet is available for the scanner(s) supplied by us. Contact your own supplier if you have purchased scanners yourself.

Now go to Extra -> Settings -> Gift Card Integration within RetailVista. Check there if the gift card integration is activated. The image below shows the corresponding screen.

Now go to Administration -> Gift Card Types to create the Fleurop as a gift card type. Choose 'Intersolve gift card with simulation' for 'Gift Card Type' and enter the URL provided by Intersolve. The fields 'Sales init string, Payment init string' and 'One-time spending' can be left empty.

Now go to Administration -> Gift Card Authorization. Enter the Intersolve merchant ID, along with the Merchant password and Merchant checksum for the gift card type 'Intersolve with simulation' for each cash register terminal. The Merchant ID and password are provided by Intersolve, and the Merchant checksum codes can be requested from the support desk. So, a Merchant ID, password, and checksum must be provided for each cash register terminal!

Now go to  Start -> Product Maintenance -> Product Maintenance and check if there is already a gift card product of the gift card type 'Intersolve with simulation'. The product search screen can be used to search for the gift card type via 'Advanced'. Otherwise, create this product if it does not already exist. Unlike, for example, the 'Nationale Tuinbon', the Fleurop gift card does not contain a prefix section in the total barcode in which an product is encoded.For this reason, a random barcode can be created in product maintenance for the sale of the Fleurop gift card.

The VAT percentage is 0% (no VAT), so do not provide a sales price for the product. The cash register will then ask for the price when selling this gift card. It is not known whether the Fleurop gift cards are sold at fixed prices, in most cases with electronic gift cards this will not be the case. By still providing a sales price for the product itself, the cash register will automatically assign that value to a sold gift card. The 'Classification level 1' used in the following example is just an example, you can determine the classification to be used yourself.

Now deselect the option 'Sales revenue' in the 'Sales' tab. The sale of a gift card is not revenue but represents a balance position in the financial administration. Then mark the option 'Gift card' and choose 'Intersolve with simulation' for 'Gift card type'.

By performing these actions, RetailVista now knows that scanning barcode 9900000005238 will result in the sale of an Intersolve gift card with a variable value.

Create payment method

The acceptance of gift cards is regulated through a payment method. Now go to Administration -> Payment methods and check if there is already a payment method 'Fleurop'. If that is the case, check if the following information is filled in correctly.

Otherwise, create a new payment method 'Intersolve gift card' if the payment method does not exist yet. Choose 'Gift card integration' for 'Payment method' and choose 'Intersolve with simulation' for 'Gift card type'.

Optionally, assign a sequence number to indicate the position of this payment method in the list of payment methods. On touchscreens, this may not have an effect if fixed payment method buttons are coded in the layout.

In that case, please contact NedFox support desk to have the layout adjusted.

On this payment method, change is not allowed (the customer will not receive cash back if more is paid with the gift card than the amount to be paid).

RetailVista is now ready to sell and receive gift cards.

Cash register instruction / Sale of gift card

Start the cash register and enter the product barcode of an Intersolve gift card. This is not the barcode printed on the gift card, but the barcode of the previously created product. In the example below, the packaging barcode 9900000005238 is used, followed by card number 6280501100861745081. After scanning that barcode, a 'Gift card sale' screen will appear. Now scan the barcode of the gift card itself. Then enter the value that should be assigned to the card.

This transaction can be supplemented with additional products and must then be paid using the usual payment methods. The card number will ultimately be printed on the receipt.

Redeeming a gift card

The great advantage of digital gift cards is that they can be used to pay in parts. Redeeming a gift card is done as a payment method. This is different from loyalty cards, where redeeming a loyalty card is processed as a discount on the transaction. This is not allowed with gift cards. After scanning one or more items, you can choose the 'Intersolve gift card' as the payment method in the payment screen.

After selecting the payment method 'Intersolve gift card' and entering a payment amount of 1.75, a 'Gift card payment' screen will appear. Scan the barcode of the gift card in that screen. A balance check will then be performed.

If the balance is sufficient, this screen can be closed by pressing 'Enter' or 'Ok' again.

Depending on the settings of RetailVista and whether the transaction with this payment is fully completed, the transaction will be automatically closed and the gift card mutation will be processed definitively.

Balance information

Through the menu Sales ->  Gift card details, the balance of a gift card can be requested. The previously sold gift card 6280501100861745081 with a value of 25.00 euros was later used to pay 1.75 euros. The remaining balance of 23.25 is shown in the following screen.

Frequently asked questions

Question: What is the difference between an Intersolve with and without simulation?
Answer: On some types of gift cards, Intersolve may first simulate whether the gift card can be topped up or debited. The final top-up or debit will then take place at the end of a transaction. For types of gift cards that do not support this, 'Intersolve without simulation' should be chosen. If a store sells both types of gift cards, Intersolve advises to handle all gift cards 'without simulation'.

Question: What are the 1 and 3 step vouchers from Intersolve?
Answer: These are not gift cards but access passes and phone cards. The settings for these are covered in a separate QA and the use of these types requires a separate license.

Question: What happens if a gift card is sold based on 'with simulation' while the gift card simulation is not supported?
Answer: In that case, an error message will be generated from Intersolve indicating that an invalid operation is being performed.

Question: After waiting for 20 seconds with the message 'Connecting to gift card provider', I receive the message 'A timeout occurred for the operation'. What does this mean?
Answer: The gift card provider cannot be reached via the Internet.

Check your Internet connection.

Question: When selling a gift card, I receive the message 'This gift card has already been activated'. What does this mean?
Answer: A gift card can only be sold once. This gift card has already been sold before and may still have a balance.

Question: How can I use the balance checker?
Answer: It is currently unknown to us if there is a balance checker available on the Internet for Fleurop.

Question: Does the sale of a gift card count towards revenue?
Answer: No. Due to the indication 'No revenue' attached to the product linked to the gift card, sold gift cards are excluded from revenue.

Question: If I don't have Internet, can I still sell a gift card?
Answer: No, if there is no Internet, the gift card cannot be topped up and it is also not possible to check if the gift card has been sold before.

Question: What is the packaging barcode of Fleurop?
Answer: It is unknown to us if a luxury packaging is available for the Fleurop gift card.

Question: If I don't have Internet, can I still accept a gift card?
Answer: In principle, no.

Question: When is a sold gift card actually activated?
Answer: If 'simulation' is used, it is only activated when closing the cash register transaction. In that case, the gift card should not be given out until the transaction is fully completed. For gift cards 'without simulation', the card is activated at the moment of scanning and is worth money from that moment on.

Question: When is the balance deducted from the card when paying with a gift card?
Answer: If 'simulation' is used, the actual deduction takes place when closing the transaction. If 'Intersolve gift card' is chosen as the payment method, the card needs to be scanned and only a balance check takes place.

With a gift card 'without simulation', the balance is immediately reduced after scanning and balance check.

Question: I have a rejected transaction when printing an end-of-day summary. How can I successfully process that transaction?
Answer: If the balance cannot be deducted when processing a gift card payment at the end of a transaction, the transaction will be rejected and the deduction must be processed manually. Please contact the RetailVista support desk.

Question: When starting the cash register, the message 'At this moment, no connection can be made with the Intersolve gift card service. When using a gift card, another attempt will be made to reach the service! Please contact the RetailVista support desk if this message persists.' What does this mean?
Answer: There is no connection to the internet where the gift card transactions from Intersolve are processed. Please check your internet connection.

Question: The receipt states a payment reference as '33-1-3-25356-1'. What does that mean?
Answer: This is a unique payment reference that can be used to inquire about the payment with a gift card at Intersolve. The reference consists of the RetailVista company number, branch number, cash register, receipt number, and payment number (1st payment, 2nd payment, etc.).

Question: What is the URL of the production environment?
Answer: Intersolve will inform you about the URL to be used.

Question: How many licenses do I need?
Answer: To communicate with Intersolve for the sale of gift cards, you need one license for the 'Intersolve gift card interface'. It doesn't matter how many different types of gift cards you sell, as long as they are processed by Intersolve.

Would you also like to sell RetailVista gift cards and TCS gift cards (including Fashion Cheque)? Then you will need two additional licenses; the 'RetailVista gift card interface' and the 'TCS gift card interface'.

Question: Can I also sell phone and concert tickets from Intersolve with this integration?
Answer: No, the entire processing of these types of cards (called vouchers) takes place in a different way and requires a separate 'Intersolve voucher interface' license.