Employee engagement platforms should treat reward redemption as part of their product experience, Runa argues in a May 2026 article. The company describes the disruption that can occur when an employee follows a recognition message into a separate catalog with different branding, navigation and delivery emails.

Runa cites an O.C. Tanner report finding that nearly 40% of employees do not regularly use their recognition tools. Runa interprets that as a reason to examine the experience as well as adoption, rather than attributing the research finding specifically to third-party catalogs.

Embedding gift cards, prepaid rewards and payout choice

Its recommendation goes beyond placing a catalog inside an application. The company says platforms should consider how gift cards, prepaid cards and push-to-card payouts can share a consistent recipient journey, reporting process and integration.

International coverage is a second consideration. Runa argues that employers with multinational workforces need localized reward choices and currency support without separate redesigns for every market. It also emphasizes capacity during year-end rewards, company milestones and other periods of concentrated demand.

The article proposes reviewing whether employees leave the product to redeem, whether employer branding continues through delivery, and whether analytics capture behavior after issuance. It also asks platforms to consider how their reward experience differs from another customer of the same catalog provider.

Runa references Gallup and Workhuman research linking strong recognition with a 45% lower likelihood of turnover two years later. The article uses that broader finding to explain why recognition quality matters; it does not establish that an embedded reward catalog alone produces the reported retention difference.