The Order notes & gift messages tool can collect three kinds of message. They look similar to a customer, but they land in different places on the order, and that decides how easily you see them. Here is how to choose.
The three options side by side
A note for us | A gift message | Your own order field | |
Who it is for | You and your team | The person receiving the parcel | Whatever you use the field for |
Where it lands | The order's Notes | The Tacey gift message field, under Metafields | Your own metafield or order attribute |
Setup needed | None | None | The field must already exist in your store |
Can you pin it to the top of the order? | Notes already show on the order page | No. Shopify never allows an app's field to be pinned | Yes, if it is a metafield you own |
If the customer adds another | Added underneath, nothing erased | Replaces the previous gift message | Replaces the previous value |
Kept if you uninstall Tacey? | Yes | No, Shopify removes app-owned fields | Yes |
Use "A note for us" for instructions to you
Delivery instructions, "please don't include the receipt", "I ordered the wrong size, can you swap before shipping?". It lands where you already look, in the order's Notes, with a stamp showing it came from the customer through Tacey. Leave it on for almost every store.
Use "A gift message" if you have no gift field yet
It works with no setup at all, which is why it is on by default. The one catch: it lives under Metafields and can never be pinned, so it is easy to miss on a busy day. See Where do I find a gift message a customer left on their order?.
Use your own field if you already have one
If you already created an order metafield for gift notes, gift wrap instructions or a card message, share that field instead:
Open Editing Tools, then Order notes & gift messages, then Configure.
Under Order fields customers can see or edit, pick your field and turn on Customers can see this and Customers can edit this.
Untick Let customers add a gift message.
Click Save.
Your field is yours: you can pin it, use it in your own workflows, and it stays if you ever remove Tacey. For a store that already has one, this is the better choice.
Do not switch on two boxes for the same job
If A gift message and your own "Gift wrap note" field are both switched on, the customer sees both and has to guess which one you will read. Tacey does not merge them for you. Pick one per purpose.
What this does NOT do
None of the three email you when a customer writes something.
None of them appear at checkout. They are only offered after the order is placed.
A note never overwrites a gift message, or the other way round. They are always separate fields.
Frequently asked
Can I use my own field for notes too?
Yes. Any plain text order field you share and allow editing on works the same way. Keep A note for us on as well if you want instructions in the order's Notes.
Do all three count toward the customer's limit on changes?
Yes. Each saved note, gift message or field edit counts as one change toward your Maximum edits per order limit.
Related