The micro-donations partnership that's having a big impact Adobe CommerceConversionPaymentsCheckout DesignIntegration Integrating Pennies Charity Donations Pennies is the leading UK charity working to protect and grow micro-donations – ensuring the public has digital ways to keep donating the small amounts of money that are so vital for charitable causes. They partner with merchants and payments providers to enable micro-donation opportunities at the point of sale, helping raise funds for charities in need. Pennies gives customers paying by card or digital wallet a simple, affordable, and data-free way to add a small donation to their purchase – in-store, online and in-app. For e-commerce merchants, Pennies have built their own API and crafted nifty extensions, including one for Magento. But it can be a challenge to find development partners able support the integration of Pennies into client e-commerce journeys. That’s where GENE have come into play, renowned Gold-level Adobe partner, at the recommendation of Adobe itself. Adobe CommerceIntegration GENE and Pennies: A Seamless Integration Journey GENE Commerce, an agency devoted to making a difference in the community, enthusiastically joined hands with Pennies for an exciting digital charity adventure. Together, they’ve embarked on this journey, integrating Pennies into the checkout systems of select clients. This included integrating Pennies into Choice Shops, Age UK and Incontinence Choice. Rob Rees, Digital Business Development Manager at Pennies says: “Pennies is a small charity making a big difference. We can only do this thanks to the support of our incredible technology partners, like GENE commerce. The whole team are a joy to work with, and they have all gone above and beyond to support our mission of making giving simple, everyday. Although Pennies is over 10 years old and has enabled 190m individual donations – we are relatively new to the Magento eco-system, so GENE’s support, expertise, and generosity have been crucial to our success in 2023. Thanks to their work on Age Co, Choice Shops and numerous planned implementations and client intros – GENE are on track to unlock at least £100,000 for charity, every single year. Funding that will support amazing causes like Age UK and The Rainbow Trust. The most exciting thing about our partnership is, we’ve only just started. We can’t wait for the incredible impact that is already lined up for 2024. From everyone at Pennies: THANK YOU!” Adobe CommerceCheckout DesignIntegration Integration Nitty-Gritties: Magento API Customisation GENE Commerce embarked on a project in collaboration with Pennies, aimed at tailoring their Magento API to align with Choice Shops’ specific requirements. The objective was to seamlessly integrate a Pennies donation block into the checkout process of Choice Shops’ Incontinence Choice and Age UK Incontinence websites, strategically positioned just before the payment step. One of the key customizations involved incorporating a Pennies donation block, offering Choice Shops’ customers the flexibility to either donate a set amount to Age UK through a free text field or opt for a “round-up” donation based on their total order value. Responding to Choice Shops’ request, GENE added a CMS block within the Pennies block, allowing Choice to convey a personalised message, explaining their choice of a particular charity. Speedy Checkout Integration To optimise the checkout speed and ensure a smooth user experience, GENE developed a bespoke GENE module for Pennies. This module allows all necessary calculations within Magento, eliminating the need for multiple calls to the Pennies API upon each checkout, a process that could potentially slow down the checkout procedure. Through these meticulous customisations and integrated solutions, GENE Commerce successfully enhanced the donation experience within the checkout process, demonstrating the agency’s commitment to tailoring innovative solutions for their clients and optimising the user journey while contributing to charitable causes. Sophie Alway, Ecommerce Solution Specialist at GENE and Choice Shops’ Strategic Account Manager says: “This project was a dream come true for us. Choice Shops, Pennies, and our team collaborated seamlessly to create a checkout experience that not only streamlined the process but also encouraged generous donations without disrupting the standard checkout flow. The outcomes have exceeded our expectations. Working closely with Pennies was a joy; they were incredibly responsive to our queries and collaborated closely with us on intricate technical integration, ensuring we delivered nothing less than a ‘best in class’ integration.” Adobe CommerceConversionPayments GENE’s integration of Pennies generated a significant sum. With the conversion rate soaring beyond our expectations, hitting an outstanding 34%! £2,756.72 raised 6,771 number of donations 34% Conversion Rate (data based on the 1st month from going live) Alison Hutchinson CBE, Chief Executive at Pennies says: “We are delighted to welcome GENE as a key partner to the Pennies family. GENE’s innovative solutions and specialised checkout expertise will catalyse a step change in the growth of microdonations making it easy for many more merchants to join in and support the charities their customers and colleagues care about. At a time when we are all being very thoughtful about every penny we spend we know that 3 out of 4 people in the UK prefer to give little and often. Partnering with such a proficient team of Magento specialists will enable even more people to give how they want to and together, make a significant impact in our communities. Thank you to the wonderful team at GENE.” Matt Parkinson, Managing Director at GENE says: “It’s a remarkable opportunity to channel our checkout expertise into a greater cause and empower the eCommerce world to contribute to something extraordinary. We encourage all our clients to integrate Pennies into their checkout systems, because together, we can turn every transaction into a chance to make a meaningful difference in the world of eCommerce.”
