Runa examined the cash-flow consequences of holding digital gift card inventory in August 2019, contrasting advance purchases with an on-demand API model. In the stock model, a business bought specific retailer codes and denominations before knowing precisely when customers would need them.

The guidance identified cash tied up in unused rewards as the central trade-off. Forecasting demand across retailers and values could leave a provider with the wrong mix, while expiry conditions or a retailer’s financial difficulties could create additional exposure.

Manual administration was another consideration. Runa described time spent raising invoices, reconciling payments, chasing suppliers, forecasting demand and managing files. Holding unissued codes also required controls over how that inventory was stored and accessed.

The alternative described was a funded, on-demand service in which rewards were purchased when an order arrived. The company argued that this reduced the need to commit cash to fixed retailer and denomination combinations in advance.

Runa also promoted flexible-value rewards and the ability, under its arrangements, to exchange some cards for other options. The article’s practical recommendation was to compare inventory exposure and administrative work with the funding and fulfilment terms of an API provider. Its examples of savings were commercial illustrations, not a universal return guaranteed to every program.