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The payer is not the user

Testimonials From Gift Recipients and Buyers

When someone buys a gift, your order system knows the giver and nothing about the person who opened it. A standard request asks the buyer how they like a product they may never have touched. Plan two separate asks instead: one to the buyer about choosing and sending, and one that reaches the recipient through the buyer, after the occasion.

  • Ask the buyer about choosing and delivery
  • Reach the recipient through the buyer
  • Dated from the occasion, not the order
Use the free toolSet up both forms (opens in a new tab)
Plan both asks from the day the gift is opened
  1. Day 0The occasion: send nothing
  2. Day +2Ask the buyer about the experience
  3. Day +3Offer the buyer a link to forward
  4. Day +10Recipient has had time to use it

Pick your gift opened on and get the dates.

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The problem, solved

Two people, one order

Each of these comes from treating a gift order like any other order.

Situation 1 of 5

Our request asks the buyer how it tastes

The buyer sent the hamper to their aunt. Asked to rate the contents, they either guess or ignore the email.

How StoryProof solves it

Ask the buyer about what they did experience: choosing, ordering, the message card and delivery. Send it by email to the address on the order.

Gift request planner

Plan both asks from the day the gift is opened

Enter the occasion date, or the delivery date if there is no occasion. The plan asks the buyer first and the recipient only through them.

  1. Day 0

    The occasion: send nothing

    Let the day happen. A request that arrives during the party reads as a sales email.

  2. Day +2

    Ask the buyer about the experience

    Email the buyer about choosing, ordering, the gift message and delivery. End with one line: "If they enjoyed it, we would love to hear from them too."

  3. Day +3

    Offer the buyer a link to forward

    If the buyer says yes, send a short note they can forward or paste into a message, with your collection link in it.

  4. Day +10

    Recipient has had time to use it

    A forwarded link usually gets answered in the first week or not at all. Thank the buyer whether or not anything came back.

  5. Day +21

    Approve and sort

    Read every reply. Tag each one buyer or recipient, and check that the recipient agreed to public use, not just the buyer on their behalf.

  6. Day +330

    Before the same occasion next year

    Repeat buyers often send the same gift again. Show recipient quotes on the gift pages in the weeks before.

Dates are calculated in your browser. Nothing is saved.

Prompts

What to ask each of them

The buyer and the recipient know different things. Asking either about the other’s part wastes the request.

The buyer

  • What made you pick this as a gift?
  • How easy was it to add a message and choose a date?
  • Did it arrive when and how you expected?
  • What did they say when they opened it?

Leave out

  • How would you rate the product?
  • How did it taste, fit or feel?

The recipient

  • What did you think when you opened it?
  • Have you used it since? How?
  • Would you give it to someone yourself?

Leave out

  • How was the checkout?
  • Questions that reveal what the buyer paid

In StoryProof

Run the two asks in StoryProof

  1. 1

    Set up a buyer form and a recipient form

    Separate links keep the questions right for each person. The recipient form accepts video, audio or text.

  2. 2

    Email the buyer after the occasion

    Send the buyer request by email. For orders placed close to the occasion, the store webhook timing can do it for you.

  3. 3

    Hand the buyer a link to share

    The recipient link can be pasted into any message or printed as a QR code on a card in the box.

  4. 4

    Approve, tag and place

    Approve each reply, tag it buyer or recipient, and choose recipient quotes for product pages and buyer quotes near delivery options.

What happens next: Keep gift requests out of your normal post purchase sequence, or the buyer gets two emails asking two different things.

Before you start

What this plan will not do

  • No contacting recipients directly

    A delivery address is not consent to email someone. Every recipient request goes through the buyer.

  • The buyer cannot consent for them

    A buyer forwarding a reaction video is not the recipient agreeing to be on your website. Ask the person in the clip.

  • Surprises can be spoiled

    A QR card in the box tells the recipient you want feedback. Leave it out of gifts where the brand should stay invisible.

  • Fewer recipients than buyers

    Each recipient ask depends on a buyer passing it on. Expect far more buyer testimonials than recipient ones.

FAQ

Questions people ask

Short answers to what usually comes up next.

How do I know which orders are gifts?

Look for a gift message, gift wrap, a separate delivery address or a gift receipt option on the order. Use whichever your store records reliably.

Can I put a QR code card in the gift box?

You can, as long as it is worded for the recipient and says nothing about price. Skip it for gifts where the buyer wants their own branding or none at all.

Is a buyer quote about the recipient’s reaction a real testimonial?

It is the buyer’s testimonial about giving the gift. Present it that way, and do not attribute the reaction to the recipient as if they said it.

What about corporate gifts sent to many people?

The buyer is a company and the recipients are its clients or staff. Ask the company first, and only share a recipient link if they are happy for you to.

Should recipient quotes go on the product page?

Yes, they answer "will they like it?", which is the gift shopper’s main doubt. Buyer quotes fit better beside delivery and message options.

Still have a question? Ask the StoryProof team or book a demo.

Hear from the person who opened it

Set up a buyer form and a recipient link, and start collecting testimonials from both sides of a gift.

Set up both forms (opens in a new tab)

Last updated 2026-11-06.