2. How do I hide the gift message widget on specific products?
Set up Hidden products, Blocked markets and exclusion tags, why merchants use them, and what to test in the cart, checkout and order status.
Written By Giftnote Team
Last updated About 1 hour ago
You can stop the gift message widget appearing for products that shouldn't offer gift messaging. In the Giftnote app, add them to Hidden products. You can also hide the option for whole countries with Blocked markets, or use exclusion tags on the theme block.
Merchants most often exclude gift card products, subscription products, digital goods and wholesale-only lines.
Before you set them up, read the section on carts, checkout and order status, and test every surface where your widget appears.
Why would I exclude a product?
Gift card products. If you sell gift cards through another app such as Rise.ai, or you have your own gift card product page with its own recipient fields, two sets of gift fields on one page confuses buyers and produces broken orders. Excluding the gift card product removes the conflict.
Subscription products. A gift note attaches to an order, so a subscription that renews monthly raises the question of which delivery carries the note. Most merchants exclude subscriptions rather than answer it.
Digital products. There is no parcel to attach a note to.
Wholesale or trade lines. Business buyers rarely want a gift message option, and its presence makes a trade catalogue look consumer-facing.
How to set up product exclusions
Hidden products and Blocked markets work on every Shopify plan.
- Open Advanced settings. In the Giftnote app, go to Settings → Gift Orders and click Advanced settings.
- Add the products. In the Surcharge & visibility card, under Hidden products, click Add product and pick every product you want to exclude. Save if a save bar appears.
- Test an excluded product. Open the excluded product's page and confirm the gift message option does not appear.
- Test a normal product. Open a non-excluded product's page and confirm the gift message option still appears normally.
Step 4 matters. Skipping it is how merchants discover an exclusion problem during peak instead of during setup.
Hiding by country. Under Blocked markets, click Select countries… to pick countries where the gift message offering is suppressed.
What about carts, checkout and order status?
Hidden products and Blocked markets hide the gift message option on the product page. Don't assume they also hide it in the cart drawer, on the cart page, at checkout or on the order status page.
If your widget also appears on those surfaces, add a test cart that contains an excluded product (on its own, and mixed with giftable products) and check each surface before you go live. If the result isn't what you need, use one of the alternatives below, chat with us using the chat button in the help centre or in the app, or email support@giftnote.com.
Are there alternatives to exclusions?
Exclusion tags on the theme block. The Gift Order Message app block in your theme editor has an Exclusion tags setting. Add that tag to any product in Shopify where you don't want the widget to appear. See "3. Add Gift Message Widget".
Duplicate template approach. Some merchants create a duplicate product template without the Giftnote widget block and assign it to the products that should not show gift messaging. This hides the widget on the product page while leaving cart and checkout behaviour untouched. It's a theme change, so it needs whoever maintains your theme.
Widget placement. If the widget only causes problems on certain product pages, moving it to the cart drawer or to checkout can solve the issue without any exclusions at all.
Frequently asked questions
Can I exclude a whole collection instead of listing products?
Hidden products are added one product at a time with Add product. If you need to exclude a large collection, chat with us about your setup, or use exclusion tags on the theme block.
The widget still shows after I set up exclusions. What now?
Check the product is listed under Hidden products, and that you're looking at the product page rather than the cart or checkout. Then clear your cache and test in a private window. If it persists, chat with us and send the product names or IDs and a link to the product page.
Does excluding a product stop gift cards being sent for it?
No. Exclusions control whether the gift message widget appears. They do not change gift card issuance.
Can I hide the widget for wholesale customers rather than by product?
Yes, if they're Shopify B2B company customers. In Settings → Gift Orders → Configure, open your design and turn on Hide for B2B customers ("Don't show the widget to company customers"). For wholesale customers who aren't set up as B2B companies, customer-based conditions are still a theme-level change.