Canonical URL: https://giftcard.news/payments-technology/runa-sets-out-five-planning-decisions-for-gift-card-software-integration-4332e8c047ca/ --- description: Runa's integration guide connects business objectives, data flows and measurement to choices between in-house software, external providers and managed reward platforms. title: Runa sets out five planning decisions for gift card software integration image: https://giftcard.news/images/social/v1/runa-sets-out-five-planning-decisions-gift-card-software-integration-cbf867440dcfb0d8202cbbe7b030942a.jpg --- 1. [Home](https://giftcard.news/) 2. [Payments & Technology](https://giftcard.news/payments-technology/) # Runa sets out five planning decisions for gift card software integration Runa's integration guide connects business objectives, data flows and measurement to choices between in-house software, external providers and managed reward platforms. By [Suzie Elis](https://giftcard.news/author/suzie-elis/) March 10, 2023 2 min read Share [ ](https://x.com/intent/post?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fpayments-technology%2Fruna-sets-out-five-planning-decisions-for-gift-card-software-integration-4332e8c047ca%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dx%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial&text=Runa%20sets%20out%20five%20planning%20decisions%20for%20gift%20card%20software%20integration "X") [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fpayments-technology%2Fruna-sets-out-five-planning-decisions-for-gift-card-software-integration-4332e8c047ca%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dlinkedin%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial "LinkedIn") [ ](https://wa.me/?text=Runa%20sets%20out%20five%20planning%20decisions%20for%20gift%20card%20software%20integration%20https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fpayments-technology%2Fruna-sets-out-five-planning-decisions-for-gift-card-software-integration-4332e8c047ca%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dwhatsapp%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial "WhatsApp") ![Runa sets out five planning decisions for gift card software integration](https://giftcard.news/images/variants/v1/runa-sets-out-five-planning-decisions-gift-card-software-integration-w864.webp) Photo: Source: runa.io [Runa](https://giftcard.news/company/runa/) has outlined five technical planning decisions for businesses integrating gift card software: the objective, the measures of success, the software model, the direction of data flow and the information exchanged. The guide was published on March 10, 2023. The first decision is what the integration needs to accomplish. Runa distinguishes linking functions across applications from moving data into another system for reporting. A business may also be building a customer-facing reward experience, such as a place to claim a gift card or manage loyalty points. The guide connects those objectives to measurement. Depending on the program, relevant data could include conversions, acquisition cost, employee workload, average transaction value or longer-term customer value. The integration needs to collect the information required for those measures instead of adding reporting only after launch. Runa also discusses the commercial use of discounted rewards. It says platforms may buy eligible rewards at an agreed discount while offering them at face value. The article presents that price difference as a possible revenue source, without providing a program-specific margin or measured financial result. The next decision concerns software ownership and support. Building internally offers control but requires development resources. A third-party product must be assessed for compatibility with the existing systems, while a managed service may include more support during integration and ongoing operation. API access can be part of any of those arrangements. One-way and two-way connections serve different purposes in the guide. A one-way flow may be enough to send gift card data into analytics or finance software. A two-way integration allows applications to exchange updates, but requires more coordination over the information each system maintains. Finally, Runa recommends identifying the data fields involved. Its examples include reward purchases or claims, actions completed to qualify, customer profiles, acquisition cost and transaction value after an incentive. That inventory links the original business objective to the systems and reporting the project must support. ## Sources and documents ExpandCollapse * [5 Essential Tech Tips for Gift Card Software Integration](https://runa.io/blog/5-technical-consideration-for-gift-card-software-integration-guide?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%2Fpayments-technology%2Fruna-sets-out-five-planning-decisions-for-gift-card-software-integration-4332e8c047ca%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dx%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial&text=Runa%20sets%20out%20five%20planning%20decisions%20for%20gift%20card%20software%20integration "X") [ ](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fpayments-technology%2Fruna-sets-out-five-planning-decisions-for-gift-card-software-integration-4332e8c047ca%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dlinkedin%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial "LinkedIn") [ ](https://wa.me/?text=Runa%20sets%20out%20five%20planning%20decisions%20for%20gift%20card%20software%20integration%20https%3A%2F%2Fgiftcard.news%2Fpayments-technology%2Fruna-sets-out-five-planning-decisions-for-gift-card-software-integration-4332e8c047ca%2F%3Futm%5Fsource%3Dwhatsapp%26utm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial "WhatsApp") ![Portrait of Suzie Elis](https://giftcard.news/images/variants/v1/suzie-elis-editorial-portrait-w320.webp) About the author ## [Suzie Elis](https://giftcard.news/author/suzie-elis/) Journalist — Gift Cards & Digital Gifting Suzie Elis covers gift card products, digital gifting and distribution for Gift Card News. 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