The Business Model Behind Buy Now, Pay Later Apps

Buy now, pay later companies like Affirm, Klarna and Afterpay boomed during the pandemic as consumers looked for an accessible alternative to credit cards. But even as their customer bases grow, these companies are struggling to turn a profit. 

PayPal, Apple and even credit card companies themselves are trying to get in on the action. 

WSJ explains how these services work, how they differ from traditional credit card payments and why some consumers have concerns.

Is ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ the Future of Consumer Lending?

Major specialists like Klarna, Afterpay and Affirm, as well as payments giant PayPal, are raking in big bucks financing consumer purchases. They are playing a different game than many banks and credit unions. But amid this tectonic shift there may be opportunity for traditional institutions — in part by picking up the pieces.

That buy now, pay later purchasing is booming is indisputable. It’s a story that’s been building up over the course of the last several years. Predictions that it would surge to new heights during the 2021 holiday shopping season were supported when PayPal CEO Dan Schulman, appearing on CNBC, crowed that on Black Friday, “our volume on buy now, pay later was up almost 400% year over year.”

Schulman added that his company’s “Pay in Four” installment plans proved to be “one of the stars, actually, of the holiday season for us.”

Want to find out more? Click HERE.