Canonical URL: https://giftcard.news/gift-cards/runa-identifies-five-gift-card-trends-that-will-shape-2026-for-merchants-6705b7871769/ --- description: Runa’s 2026 outlook highlights B2B promotions, recipient choice, digital wallets, fraud controls and gift cards’ role in wider payout programs. title: Runa Identifies Five Gift Card Trends That Will Shape 2026 for Merchants image: https://giftcard.news/images/social/v1/runa-identifies-five-gift-card-trends-shape-2026-merchants-cca985fa4ca6ee3dacc08b6b9942ccad.jpg --- 1. [Home](https://giftcard.news/) 2. [Gift Cards](https://giftcard.news/gift-cards/) # Runa Identifies Five Gift Card Trends That Will Shape 2026 for Merchants Runa’s 2026 outlook highlights B2B promotions, recipient choice, digital wallets, fraud controls and gift cards’ role in wider payout programs. By [Oliver Reed](https://giftcard.news/author/oliver-reed/) December 30, 2025 1 min read Share [ ](https://x.com/intent/post?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fgift-cards%2Fruna-identifies-five-gift-card-trends-that-will-shape-2026-for-merchants-6705b7871769%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dx%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial&text=Runa%20Identifies%20Five%20Gift%20Card%20Trends%20That%20Will%20Shape%202026%20for%20Merchants "X") [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fgift-cards%2Fruna-identifies-five-gift-card-trends-that-will-shape-2026-for-merchants-6705b7871769%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dlinkedin%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial "LinkedIn") [ ](https://wa.me/?text=Runa%20Identifies%20Five%20Gift%20Card%20Trends%20That%20Will%20Shape%202026%20for%20Merchants%20https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fgift-cards%2Fruna-identifies-five-gift-card-trends-that-will-shape-2026-for-merchants-6705b7871769%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dwhatsapp%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial "WhatsApp") ![Source image for Runa Identifies Five Gift Card Trends That Will Shape 2026 for Merchants](https://giftcard.news/images/variants/v1/runa-identifies-five-gift-card-trends-shape-2026-merchants-source-image-w1280.webp) Photo: Source: runa.io [Runa](https://giftcard.news/company/runa/) has identified five gift card themes it expects to shape merchant programs in 2026: B2B promotion, recipient choice, wallet access, security and broader payout use. The outlook was published on December 30, 2025 and draws on the company’s distribution activity. Runa said it ran more than 400 B2B promotional campaigns across nine countries during 2025, involving over 50 merchants and more than 65 enterprise customers. It reported average merchant returns of 21 times investment and a 75% lift in redemption against baseline activity; these are Runa’s reported campaign metrics. The company recommends placing gift cards in reward experiences where recipients can choose their preferred brand. It argues that choice can improve relevance and encourages merchants to consider the whole claim and redemption journey. Wallet compatibility is another focus, with Runa recommending formats that are easy to access from a phone. On security, it highlights code delivery, transaction monitoring and fraud detection as parts of the same operating process. The final prediction concerns use beyond seasonal gifts, including rebates, loyalty redemptions, partner incentives and customer retention campaigns. Runa presents these as opportunities for merchants to reach business buyers throughout the year. Its recommendation is to connect distribution, recipient experience and controls when planning a gift card program, rather than treating each as a separate channel decision. ## Sources and documents ExpandCollapse * [5 Gift Card Trends That Will Define 2026 For Merchants](https://runa.io/blog/5-gift-card-trends-that-will-define-2026-for-merchants?utm%5Fsource=giftcard.news) — runa.io ## In this article ### Companies * [Runa](https://giftcard.news/company/runa/) Share [ ](https://x.com/intent/post?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fgift-cards%2Fruna-identifies-five-gift-card-trends-that-will-shape-2026-for-merchants-6705b7871769%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dx%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial&text=Runa%20Identifies%20Five%20Gift%20Card%20Trends%20That%20Will%20Shape%202026%20for%20Merchants "X") [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fgift-cards%2Fruna-identifies-five-gift-card-trends-that-will-shape-2026-for-merchants-6705b7871769%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dlinkedin%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial "LinkedIn") [ ](https://wa.me/?text=Runa%20Identifies%20Five%20Gift%20Card%20Trends%20That%20Will%20Shape%202026%20for%20Merchants%20https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fgift-cards%2Fruna-identifies-five-gift-card-trends-that-will-shape-2026-for-merchants-6705b7871769%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dwhatsapp%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial "WhatsApp") ![Portrait of Oliver Reed](https://giftcard.news/images/variants/v1/oliver-reed-editorial-portrait-w320.webp) About the author ## [Oliver Reed](https://giftcard.news/author/oliver-reed/) Journalist — Industry Deals & Research Oliver Reed covers industry acquisitions, investment and market research for Gift Card News. From reading to building ## Your next move in gift cards. Tell us what you’re building. We’ll help you explore suitable providers. 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