Selling Vouchers with aleno

With aleno’s Voucher Store, you can sell digital vouchers directly through your own website or create them manually in the aleno backend — fully integrated into aleno including delivery and voucher management.

This allows you to create additional revenue opportunities, strengthen your brand, and offer your guests an easy way to gift restaurant experiences.

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Overview

1. Requirements
2. Setting up the Voucher Store

   • 2.1 Configure the Voucher Store

   • 2.2 Create Vouchers

   • 2.3 Publishing the Voucher Store & Selling Vouchers online

3. Creating Vouchers manually
4. How the purchase process works for your guests
5. Redeeming Vouchers

   • 5.1 Guest redeeming a voucher during the reservation process

   • 5.2 Guest redeeming a voucher for reservations with Sell Items

   • 5.3 Redeeming vouchers in the aleno backend

6. Voucher Management & Overview
7. Tips for successful voucher sales
8. Frequently Asked Questions

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1. Requirements

To use the Voucher Store, the following requirements must be fulfilled:

1.1 Set up alenoPay

alenoPay must be connected to one of our supported payment providers.  You can find more information about the setup here.

1.2 Activate the Voucher Store

The “Voucher Store” feature must be activated for your restaurant.  Please contact our support team for activation:
→ support@aleno.me

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2. Setting up the Voucher Store

The setup can be found under:

Settings → aleno Pay → Vouchers

The setup consists of three simple steps:

2.1 Configure the Voucher Store

Define the title and description of your Voucher Store and decide whether the Voucher Store should also be displayed directly inside the reservation widget.

2.2 Create Vouchers

Create individual voucher templates with:

• Title
• Description
• Voucher amount
• Validity period
• Design and image

You can decide whether vouchers should always be available or only sold during specific time periods.

 

 

2.3 Publishing the Voucher Store & Selling Vouchers online

You can also share your Voucher Store directly via a link on your website, social media channels, newsletters, or any other marketing channels.

 

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3. Creating Vouchers manually

Besides selling vouchers through the Voucher Store, you can also create vouchers manually directly in the aleno backend. This is ideal if guests purchase a voucher on-site and pay for it directly at the restaurant.

To create a voucher manually:

1. Open the Voucher Dashboard from your aleno Dashboard.
2. Click the Create Voucher button in the top right corner.
3. Select the desired voucher template.
4. Enter the purchaser's details:
   • First name
   • Last name
   • Email address
   • Optional: Telephone Number
5. Click Create Voucher.

The voucher is immediately generated and automatically sent to the recipient by email.

Since the payment has already been completed at the restaurant, no online payment is required.

The voucher will also appear in the Voucher Dashboard together with all other vouchers, where it can be managed and redeemed in the same way.

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4. How the purchase process works for your guests

Your guests can purchase vouchers online in just a few steps:

1. Select a voucher
    
2. Enter contact details
    
3. Complete the payment
4. Download the voucher directly or receive it via email
   
    

The entire process is fully digital and automated.

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5. Redeeming Vouchers

5.1 Guest redeeming a voucher during the reservation process

Guests can enter their voucher code while making a reservation in the reservation widget.

The voucher is automatically validated and linked to the reservation. This allows the restaurant team to see that the guest intends to use a voucher during their visit.

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5.2 Guest redeeming a voucher for reservations with Sell Items

Guests can also use vouchers for reservations that include Sell Items (for example, prepaid menus or event tickets).

If the selected shift contains Sell Items, guests can simply enter their voucher code during the payment process. The voucher value is automatically deducted from the total amount due.

If the voucher value does not cover the full amount, the guest only needs to pay the remaining balance online.

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5.3 Redeeming vouchers in the aleno backend

Your team can also redeem vouchers directly in the aleno backend.

There are two ways to redeem a voucher:

Redeeming a voucher within a reservation

Open the reservation and enter the voucher code in the reservation form under "Redeem voucher". You can then choose whether to redeem the full voucher value or only a partial amount.

 

The remaining voucher balance is automatically updated and documented.

Redeeming a voucher from the Voucher Dashboard

You can also redeem vouchers directly from the Voucher Dashboard.

Locate the voucher, click the three dots at the end of the row, and select Redeem Voucher. This is particularly useful if you want to redeem a voucher without first opening the reservation.

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6. Voucher Management & Overview

You can find the Voucher Dashboard on your aleno Dashboard. Here you can manage all vouchers sold through the Voucher Store as well as vouchers created manually.

 

Inside the Voucher Dashboard, you can see an overview of:

• sold vouchers
• redeemed vouchers
• open voucher balances
• expired vouchers

Additionally, vouchers can be filtered by status, amount, or voucher name.

For each voucher, click the three dots at the end of the row to open the available actions. Depending on the voucher status, you can redeem the voucher or resend it to the customer.

 

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7. Tips for successful voucher sales

Many restaurants successfully use vouchers for:

• Christmas & holidays
• Valentine’s Day
• birthdays
• special menus or events
• last-minute gifts

Voucher titles with an emotional touch often perform particularly well, such as:

• “Dinner Experience”
• “Culinary Journey”
  
  

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8. Frequently Asked Questions

Can vouchers have an expiration date?

Yes. When creating a voucher, a validity period can be defined.

Please also make sure to follow the legal requirements in your country regarding minimum voucher validity periods.

Can vouchers only be sold during specific periods?

Yes. Vouchers can either be permanently available or only available during a specific date range.

Will guests automatically receive the voucher?

Yes. After a successful payment, the voucher is automatically sent via email and can additionally be downloaded directly.

Can I manually create vouchers that were paid directly at the restaurant?

Yes. You can easily create vouchers manually via the vouchers dashboard and send them to the buyer via email automatically.