Millennials generally do not like to use credit cards because they are afraid of getting into debt. According to surveys, just one out of three millennials carries a credit card as compared to the majority of older Americans. They may never grow as comfortable with credit cards and debts as previous generations. Both Klarna and Affirm arrived as an alternative to financing without paying upfront.

Klarna

Klarna is a prominent player in the buy now pay later market. They have partnered with thousands of businesses in almost twenty countries. This platform offers two ways to make repayment. They are known as “slice it” and “pay later”.

In slice it, customers can pay for purchases in four installments over six weeks, while in pay later, consumers receive a bill for the full amount after a month. The payments are mostly interest-free. Klarna is also known for its “try before you buy” model. This helps you to try on purchases before you buy.

Affirm

This platform supports small everyday purchases with interest-free payments split over weeks or months. It also provides interest-free loans to make significant purchases or needs. The consumers can spread out the payments, usually, the time allowed is from 6 to 18 months. Affirm also does not charge any fees including late and repayment fees. You can also open or close an account without paying a fee.

Both the services have racked up millions of users and are very popular with younger consumers.

Benefits of integrating Klarna or Affirm into your business

A store owner can derive a lot of benefits from integrating these systems. Some of them are:

1. You get upfront full payments

While the customer gets the option to pay later, you will get paid immediately. You don’t need to worry about delayed payments for your products.

2. Liberty to choose payment options

There are variable payment options and you can choose which one to offer. You can also choose how many installments to allow for any given product.

3. Responsibility of collecting money

You don’t have to do any of the work when it comes to collecting money because the service does all of it for you. This gives you more time to concentrate on customer retention.

4. You can increase your sales with this system

Consumers are more likely to make a purchase when they can spread out payments. Consumers may also be willing to buy expensive products as they can split the payment into manageable chunks.

5. You can attract new customers

Consumers are increasingly choosing this payment option. Customers have actively started looking for stores that offer buy now, pay later options. If you have one of these services integrated it will be a lot easier to convert potential customers into actual ones.

6. Trust

This system can help you build trust with the customers. The customer can test your product without committing to the purchase. If they like it they will pay for it or if not they will return it. These returns may cost you more in the short term but in the long term, they will help you in building customer loyalty. For the returned items you can also set up a recommerce section which will not only help you recoup most of the cost but customers can buy at a discounted price.

7. You can decrease cart abandonment

A lot of cart abandonment is caused due to a lack of payment options. You can see a decrease in your abandonment rates if you can include a buy now, pay later option. Also, the checkout process is much easier. Consumers don’t need to enter card details or a billing address. They just need to log in with their Klarna or Affirm account.

8. You may lose customers if you do not integrate

If you fail to meet customer demands, you will inevitably lose customers. Customers may move over to your competitor who uses this system. As mentioned previously, the buy now pays later option is very popular especially among the younger consumers. However, even if your target audience isn’t younger you could potentially increase your customer base by including these services.

9. Affordable finance solution for consumers

This system is a much safer form of debt than credit cards or payday loans for customers. Credit cards can have double-digit interest rates, while payday loans can trap them into a spiral of debt. By giving them this option your chances of attracting repeat customers are quite high.

Conclusion

To meet customer needs it is essential that you provide different payment options. By integrating Affirm or Klarna you can decrease cart abandonment rates and build trust. You can also attract new and retain current customers.

If you want to learn more about these services and get them integrated into your website, reach out to our team at SDI who will be able to guide and help you arrive at a decision. Our skilled team can easily integrate a buy now pay later option into your website at an affordable rate so that you can have all the benefits mentioned and become a top player in the market. Call us at +1.408.621.8481 or email us at team@sdi.la.