3 Ways Retailers Combat The Changes In Demand For Consumer Financing

The way retailers construct their marketing strategies and how customers shop  have all been disrupted by digital technology, which is the main reason why the world of retail is very different today than it was just five years ago. Consumers now use their smartphones to see product reviews and compare prices. In other words, it is now a lot simpler for consumers to make informed  decisions. The same is true for the financial component. The form of funding the buyer chooses has altered as a result of the changes in consumer financing over the past few years.

 

For example, the usage of BNPL lending has increased drastically after the pandemic hit, and the trend is still going as BNPL has become a kind of habit for consumers:

BNPL retail purchases in the US

SOURCE: CORNERSTONE ADVISORS

 

As shopping patterns continue to change, let’s examine how brands may develop and apply next-generation marketing tactics to enhance the customer experience with different consumer financing options in the upcoming years.

 

Why Is Consumer Financing Necessary

Retailers struggle to select the best consumer financing option due to the wide range of options available. As the usage of consumer financing is increasing every year, it is impossible to have a successful business without it.

So why is consumer financing so important?

To increase sales – you can offer customers lower prices, promotions or discounts on your  products, but it’s becoming more attractive to consumers to pay full price  if they have the option to finance their purchase and split the payment. Using lending services has become a part of our merchant offering, and consumer lives.

In addition, clients can split payments over time without incurring any costs thanks to current financing solutions. Because of this, BNPL lending and POS financing are among the most popular types of consumer finance available today. Many times, even though a person has sufficient funds on hand, they  still choose to employ a BNPL or installment loan, for instance. There is a simple reason behind it, wise use of financing options increases their purchasing power and allows consumers to have an extra amount in their accounts to feel secure and be ready for any emergencies.

Because of this, funding choices are now available for products and services like furniture. home improvement, vacation, autoparts, education, and many more, as an integral part of the shopping experience.

 

The Increased Popularity Of Omnichannel Consumer Lending

Consumer financing has become more popular overall during the past ten years. More consumers frequently use lending services to obtain the funds required for shopping or unexpected expenses. According to the statistics, consumers favor BNPL loans or point-of-sale financing solutions. Consumer financing choices give consumers freedom, and if they’re used appropriately, they make it much easier for them to manage their finances. However, online financing isn’t the only instrument that can help the buyer have a positive purchasing experience. Customers who prefer local shopping or need a product that was nearly hard to select or purchase online required retailers to adjust to their needs.

For instance, if a customer wants to purchase a new mattress or any other type of furniture, they may want to physically inspect it to ensure that they are making the appropriate decision. Therefore, when a customer went to a store after seeing the retailers’ pleasant financing options online, they had to have the same financing experience there. For situations like that, retailers offer in-store financing. To provide the buyer with the same comfortable shopping experience, several furniture stores, including Raymour & Flanigan, are now leveraging the POS financing and BNPL lending features via an omnichannel  multi-lender platform.

 

Point-Of-Sale Financing

POS financing has evolved into one of the key tools for consumers, making it seamless to access flexible  lending options, , and younger generations are also the main customers here.

POS financing users by age

Source: TransUnion US Consumer credit Database

 

The fact that customers receive the quickest and coziest method of financing is one of the reasons the service has become so well-liked. It usually only takes a few seconds to apply and receive the funds you require when reputable third parties are involved. It also allows customers to receive the best financing options: Installments, Revolving loan, BNPL or LTO (Lease-to-Own) are amongst the most popular examples of financing.

 

Potential Problems For Retailers

Since the economy has begun to expand again in recent months, retailers have faced difficulties on both the top and bottom lines as a result of some sales growth that has slowed and margins that have shrunk. In the future, the industry will probably have to contend with a more difficult growth environment in addition to higher expenses. In addition to the rising cost of goods, retailers must also deal with increased costs for everything: from production inputs to freight, fuel, and labor. Although inflation hasn’t yet had a significant effect on nominal consumer spending, we are starting to notice the first indications of a future slowdown. Despite unprecedented inflation in the first quarter of 2022, US consumers kept their wallets open. Considering that US consumers had almost $3.3 trillion more in funds than they did in 2019, the increase in consumer spending was maybe not unexpected. Many people didn’t hesitate to use their savings when credit constraints loosened. And it hasn’t only been the savers who have been spending; credit card debt is also starting to increase.

Consumer financing is undergoing the same changes, so retailers are currently juggling two issues at once. Although the increase in prices and inflation has forced customers to use additional financing choices, it has also made them more anxious and made it more difficult to decide whether to apply for extra loans. Consumers are increasingly attempting to use financing services with caution and only select the ones they trust the most.

To ensure that customers are receiving the services they desire when they visit a retail website or physical location, retailers must now pay close attention to consumer behavior and implement innovative consumer financing features.

If retailers take risky, thought-out actions, they can turn these difficulties into opportunities. Businesses that do very well during recessions often outperform their competitors over the ensuing ten years

 

3 Ways Retailers Can Combat The Demand For Consumer Financing

1.    Be On Every Channel

 

According to TIDIO statistics, various customers utilize POS financing and BNPL in-store and online in different ways. Online services are not preferred by all customers. Some customers prefer to purchase goods and services from brick and mortar  establishments.

US Consumers shopping stats

 

This once more demonstrates the need for consumer financing solutions like POS financing or BNPL lending across all channels. Whether it will be for customers who choose to shop in-person at the neighborhood store or for online users on websites or mobile applications.

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2.    Offer Simple And Clear Financing

According to the findings of Citizens Point of Sale Survey, 76% of American consumers are more inclined to make a retail sale if a payment plan is supported by an easy and smooth point of sale experience. The survey found that 62% of respondents would like fixed monthly contracts with unambiguous payment terms, and a good understanding of how the sum will be paid off as the most crucial elements. Additionally, 66% of customers believe they already have sufficient credit cards and would rather avoid adding an additional credit card merely to make a large purchase. This suggests that customers seek a different option than applying for a new credit card to make a sizable purchase at a store. Retail brands can modernize their payment solutions by moving away from the store credit approach and adding simple financing options to their customers.

 

3.    Offer White-Labeled Consumer Financing

Consumers are flocking to private-brand products in the current market to combat inflation. Retailers should periodically reevaluate their category strategies in order to take advantage of this. Successful stores will strike a balance between fast-changing consumer tastes and pressures from individual inflation rates. This would need to reconsider their balance of national and private brands.

Consumers planning a major purchase viewed trust in the organization providing the financing and this is one of the main reasons they like branded lending platforms over independent FinTech firms. It demonstrates how retailer brands can profit from branded white-label financing solutions to attract more customers. As consumer financing has gained popularity, a wider range of independent businesses now provide these services.

Additionally, financing platforms like ChargeAfter, provide customizable white-label financing options. This allows the merchant to change the financing software however they see fit while still giving customers the financing options they need and demand.

 

Choosing The Right Consumer Financing Company For Your Store

Ready to provide your clients with immediate financing? Great! But which should you pick? It’s difficult to single out the top consumer financing providers because so many fintech firms provide BNPL products. Having said that, there are some qualities to consider while selecting a BNPL and consumer financing providers:

  • Positive customer experience: Businesses need to be able to deliver satisfying user experiences. For instance, ensure a smooth checkout experience would help prevent cart abandonment. Since over 80% of shoppers leave their carts empty before making a purchase, financing and BNPL ought to have superb integration to your customer journey. User-friendly features and no interruptions during checkout help decrease cart abandonment.

Card Abandonment reasons

  • Perfect payment plans: By offering a variety of payment options, retailers open up their products to more people, which can increase sales and brand loyalty. Customers and business owners alike can benefit from high flexibility. Any retailer can act as a lender thanks to financing platforms. A financing platform gives shoppers the freedom to choose their financing conditions based on sophisticated risk assessment models. Customers will be able to select from a variety of payment plans, without having to worry about not being approved.
  • Reduced risks: Flexibility and scalability are features that reputable consumer finance businesses can provide. You may increase sales, draw in new clients, and maintain existing ones by making it simple for people to finance the goods and services, but risk management should always be taken into account. Make sure to work with providers with low MDR (Merchant Discount Rate) and can provide the best interest rate for your customers. In addition, make sure the PoS financing solution of your choice has cutting-edge management including managing reconciliation, chargebacks and dispute resolution.
  • Helps you control Data: Lastly, reputable BNPL and PoS financing solutions ought to assist retailers in regaining control over consumer data in addition to streamlining payments. This would enable retailers to better understand what customers want, need, and like. Advanced financing solutions don’t just permit retailers to give clients financing options, but give the retailers the ability to safeguard user information, and build long-lasting relationships with customers.

 

Summary

In the end, we can say with certainty that consumer financing is still an evolving industry, and that brands must stay on top of emerging trends to ensure they offer the services that customers want. If not, retailers won’t be able to take full use of financing options. Therefore, we can conclude that both the retailers and the financing platform are involved in the process and that it is not a one-party job.

 

About ChargeAfter

ChargeAfter is a leading multi-lender platform for Consumer Financing. It connects businesses with the most reliable lenders, enabling them to offer customers the greatest financing solutions. With the best system of Waterfall Financing, ChargeAfter guarantees lending to every shopper, by matching the most relevant lender to every client. Using the unique consumer financing technology, ChargeAfter provides consumers with the best shopping experience. MUFG, VISA, Bradesco, BBVA, Synchrony, CITI Banks are among the investors of ChargeAfter.

How to get Embedded Finance Right

The coronavirus epidemic in 2020 and 2021 forced firms to reevaluate and speed up their digitization initiatives more than ever. Years-long planned digitization efforts were finished in a matter of months. These modifications will remain as we move deeper into 2023.

The fintech industry, in particular how established companies involved finance on a different level by integrating financial processes into their whole company plan, is one of the most famous examples of digitalization. With an expected market price of above $138 billion in 2026, it’s obvious that the embedded finance age is here to stay and not simply a passing trend in finance.

 

What is Embedded Finance?

It can be difficult to grasp what this term actually means for individuals who are just getting familiar with the idea, as it is with any new ideas. The use of financial instruments or services by a non-financial provider, such as loan or payment processing, is known as embedded finance. An electrical retailer, for instance, might provide point-of-service insurance for items purchased in-store.

Consumer financial processes will be streamlined through embedded financing, making it simpler for customers to access the services they require when they do. In the past, customers might have needed to physically visit a bank branch to request credit in order to make a significant purchase. Thanks to embedded finance, they can now do both at the same time at the point of service. ChargeAfter, Amazon’s EMI financing choices, Klarna, and Applepay are some of the best-known examples of embedded finance.

The simplicity of embedded finance for consumers is one of its main advantages. Customers could be more likely to finish a purchase and enjoy customer pleasure, which is crucial for fostering brand loyalty, if pain points experienced by consumers are eliminated, such as the requirement to seek credit elsewhere. Because customers are more inclined to buy something and return to do so often, firms may have the possibility to boost profits.

But ease isn’t the only benefit of embedded finance. It also serves as a tool for a greater understanding of consumers, their requirements, and their purchasing patterns. Later, this information can be used to motivate more corporate growth.

 

Five types of Embedded Finance

1.Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL)

Modern consumers are opening a new line of credit thanks to buy-now, pay-later services. Consumers are empowered to shop differently when they have access to a greater variety of items that can be paid for overtime, whether they decide to spend more on a newborn’s travel system or a higher-end piece of home equipment. The consumer is given the option to divide the payment in order to avoid large transactions

2.Point-of-Sale Financing

Integrated lending, goes a step further with loans. Businesses looking to fund larger or more substantial purchases can integrate these financial instruments. To be able to lend responsibly, they frequently need more information, such as information on creditworthiness.

In contrast to BNPL lending, POS financing offers a suite of financing products such as B2B financing, Installments, revolving line of credit and even lease to own. Additionally, the application process is more pleasant and the application form is simpler. POS financing has grown in popularity with omnichannel and brick and mortar-retailers. For instance, Raymour and Flanigan, one of the major furniture merchants, recently began collaborating with ChargeAfter to equip its retail locations and online business with point-of-sale financing.

3. Embedded Insurance

Customers may wish to make certain that, should the worst occur, their money won’t be wasted while investing in a new good or service. Integrated insurance comes into play in this situation. Businesses are in a better position to provide insurance fast by integrating insurance finance technologies.

4.Trading and Investment

Users can connect with their physical bank to make investments in a way that suits their current financial condition and spending patterns thanks to embedded finance capabilities in investment applications. This is an illustration of how a different sort of financial services provider has used embedded finance.

5. Fintech-as-a-service

A fintech API called fintech-as-a-service enables businesses, including non-financial ones, to integrate financial functionality into their current goods, services, and programs.

The use of financial technology-as-a-service products in a whole is growing, from billing to customer acquisition and all in between.

 

Using Embedded Finance

Creating an embedded financial strategy that meets their customer demands can be the first step for businesses. This entails assessing your digital requirements and choosing the tools you want to integrate. Identifying your company’s objectives for its integrated finance initiative is the first stage in that process.

These could include initiatives like enhancing customer service, expanding an existing clientele, or starting a new business to cater to a particular target market or demand. For instance, if you want to enhance client loyalty, one strategy to consider is embedded payment.

For some customers, a BNPL model might increase access to products or services. You could find it simpler to establish yourself as a one-stop-shop concept with embedded finance. But before choosing the best option, you must first be aware of your needs.

 

Connect Lenders and Consumers

If your business is a retailer, connecting consumers with a variety of lenders can also help you. For this reason, ChargeAfter developed a platform wherein a network of global lenders are assigned to any point of sales, connecting them to customers who want to finance.

In other words, ChargeAfter’s multi-lender P2P platform connects the three parties in a way that is mutually beneficial.

 

About ChargeAfter

ChargeAfter is a leading multi-lender platform for Point of Sales Consumer Financing. It connects businesses with the most reliable lenders, enabling them to offer customers the greatest financing solutions. With the best system of Waterfall Financing, ChargeAfter guarantees personalized lending to every shopper, by matching the most relevant lender to every client. Using the unique network and technology, ChargeAfter provides all parties, merchants, lenders, and consumers, with the best shopping experience. Phoenix, MUFG, VISA, Bradesco, BBVA, Synchrony, PICO Partners, CITI, Propel Venture Partners, Plug and Play, and other companies worldwide are among the investors of ChargeAfter.

 

Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) Stats for 2022

Consumers are increasingly turning to Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) or POS financing to purchase items or services and spread out their payments over  time with a preset payment plan.

A recent poll found that during the COVID-19 outbreak, 60% of participants used a buy now, pay later service. 66 percent of respondents stated that they believe adopting buy now, pay later services to be “financially dangerous” at the same time. This is probably because services that let customers purchase items now and pay for them later might lead to overspending. Services that let you buy now and pay later may give the impression that an item is less expensive than it is. If shoppers indulge themselves, they could accumulate more credit than they can manage.

Important Data for BNPL

In 2022, there are expected to be 59.3 million BNPL users. The amount of BNPL customers has been sharply rising over time, driven in part by the financial difficulties associated with COVID and in part by the proliferation of BNPL businesses.

This line of credit is adaptable and simple to qualify for. For example, 45% of customers said they picked BNPL because paying with it was simpler than using a credit card, while 44% claim they did so because it offers more flexibility.

BNPL Use by Age

 

Age

BNPL User Percentage

18-24

61%

25-34

60%

35-44

61%

45-54

53%

54+

41%

 

BNPL Use by Average Household Income

 

Average Household Income

BNPL User Percentage

>$35,000

39%

$35,000-$49,999

47%

$50,000=$74,999

50%

$75,000-$99.999

43%

>$100,000

41%

 

People between the ages of 18 and 24 and 35 to 44 are the most likely to finance BNPLs. In general, younger age groups utilize BNPL more frequently. The income range of $50,000–74,999 is the one most probably to use BNPL. Customers in this range and those above it utilize BNP at around the same rates.

According to the most recent statistics, BNPL loan usage decreases as income and age rise. However, the trend suggests that this pattern is changing, and more and more individuals are beginning to use BNPL lending, which is hurting traditional banking products.

 

Top Reasons for BNPL Usage

 

Reasons to Use BNPL

Percentage of Users

Out of Budget Purchase

44.98%

Avoiding CC Interest

36.92%

Borrow Money

24.73%

Avoiding to Share Personal Data

20.79%

Credit Card Alternative

19.18%

Reached Credit Card Limit

17.2%

Can’t get CC

14.16%

No Bank Account

7.71%

Other

5.73%

 

Generally, purchasing clothing and electronics is the most frequent usage of a BNPL plan. The most frequent reason for selecting a BNPL plan is to make an expensive purchase.

Amounts People Owe to BNPL

 

Amount owed

User Percentage

Less than 100

28%

101-250

18%

251-500

25%

501-1000

17%

1001-2500

9%

2501-5000

2%

More than 5000

1%

 

BNPL Companies

 

Not just businesses and consumers benefit from BNPL loans; BNPL service providers also make significant profits. Even if the majority of the top financing platforms don’t charge consumers any additional fees, they nevertheless make money from the merchant companies that use their services to run their online storefronts. Simply defined, BNPL services are simple to use, but difficult to produce and secure. As a result, rather than developing a new system on their own, retailers employ the established and reliable financing systems of BNPL companies to increase their sales and conversion rates. Additionally, it draws a lot more customers overall.

Instead of just employing basic BNPL services, merchants and retailers are increasingly turning to the newly created and deployed BNPL white label services. Retailers can adopt BNPL services and do so under their name by using ChargeAfter’s white-label services. They get considerably better outcomes from branded BNPL solutions, which also improves the reputation and overall attractiveness of their business.

 

ChargeAfter’s BNPL Financing Platform

 

ChargeAfter’s  Waterfall financing increases the chance of approval  —  up to 85%.

As a result, merchants and financial institutions are using ChargeAfter’s BNPL white-label services to increase customer retention and maintain a competitive edge in the consumer financing sector.

Additionally, ChargeAfter is constantly improving and working to provide its merchants and banking partners with the best and most up-to-date services. According to Meidad Sharon, CEO of ChargeAfter, in an interview with Fintech Blueprints, the system is updated at least montly, and by the end of this year, they intend to increase the number of lenders to further ensure that every customer can get the financing they need.

References:

Haughn, R. (2022, July 8). 2022 Buy now, pay later statistics. Bankrate. https://www.bankrate.com/loans/personal-loans/buy-now-pay-later-statistics/

 

Want to learn more? Reach out to us here.

Why ChargeAfter Launched a White-Label BNPL (Buy Now Pay Later) Service

Financing platforms must create new services or integrate existing ones to stay up with the demands of merchants and customers in the market as modern consumer financing develops quickly. Given the intense competition in the market and the growing popularity of BNPL lending, it is difficult to stay on top without modernizing the financing system and providing the highest level of customer service. That has become the reason why the leader in consumer financing, ChargeAfter, has decided to implement BNPL white label services.

 

What is the BNPL white label?

 

The company can employ consumer finance in its e-commerce store and brand it under its name when using the BNPL white label services provided by the financing platform. Simply put, the retailing business can make its operation appear more professional and can do so in the simplest method imaginable. Instead of spending a ton of money developing a new finance system, retailers may now provide branded POS financing services by just utilizing the existing model.

 

Why did ChargeAfter adopt a White-Label service?

 

As the market becomes more competitive, more BNPL providers are attempting to gain an advantage by introducing fresh services that rival BNPL providers do not. Additionally, BNPL white label has grown in popularity among both consumers and merchants, and since ChargeAfter’s lending platform has always given customers the best services possible, the company decided to implement white label services as well. This will keep merchants informed about the consumer financing industry and allow them to enhance their performance. Retailers are now able to get greater results and rise to the top of the selling sector thanks to BNPL white label, which has its advantages.

 

Benefits of BNPL White Label

 

BNPL white label has advantages of its own, much like other consumer financing features. With many BNPL benefits in general, we can go over the following three advantages of white label services:

 

1.    Makes your Business Well-known and Reliable

 

White label services, as we already established, are branded with the firm’s name, giving the company a more trustworthy appearance in the eyes of the customer. As the corporate name is less easily recalled than the lending system itself, when customers use consumer financing without a white label, it is typically a one-time transaction. The reason for this is that customers search for the best BNLP lending option rather than the store itself because the financing platform is the one that specifically allows customers to divide their payments, and customers prefer to select the right platform rather than search for the right store online. So, branded finance software will increase customer loyalty and brand recognition for your business.

 

2.    Makes the Financing Experience Better

 

When a customer wants BNPL services at the point of sale, they are typically referred to the websites of various financing platforms, where they may have to spend a lot of time filling out numerous forms to obtain the funds they require. In the case of the BNPL white label, the customer fills out the application on the e-commerce website. In particular, when using ChargeAfter’s white label services, the merchant can be confident that the customer will receive credit for the purchase because ChargeAfter provides them with a number several lenders from which the system will select the most appropriate option for their needs.

 

3.    Boosts Sales and Conversion Rate

 

As was already mentioned, white label services provide a better user experience, which may be a key factor in reducing cart abandonment and increasing traffic to your websites. By utilizing ChargeAfter’s BNPL white label services, your business can provide the greatest experience to the consumer, which will naturally have a favorable impact on sales and conversion. Buyers want simple financing and a shopping experience.

 

Summary

 

To sum up, ChargeAfter’s global lending platform has adopted BNPL white label services to stay up with the industry’s rapid expansion and provide the best BNPL lending services to retailers. As consumer finance is becoming one of the main ways to purchase items or services, ChargeAfter makes it possible for consumers to buy things online in the best way possible.

 

Want to learn more? Reach out to us here.

Podcast summary with CEO Meidad Sharon: Powering BNPL platform with ChargeAfter

Before ChargeAfter

 

During an interview with The Fintech BluePrint, Meidad Sharon, CEO of ChargeAfter, a top worldwide lending platform, discussed how ChargeAfter was founded and how the demand for consumer financing and BNPL drove him to build one of the best global financing platforms in the world.  Meidad discusses how at the time he worked at SafeCharge Nuvei, the financing and payment market was in desperate need of a smart and quick platform for consumer financing. The right and effective strategy was therefore required to create the firm that would serve as a link between retailers, customers, and lenders and assist them all to have the best possible shopping and business experiences.

What was the best course of action? The key concerns at the time, according to Meidad, were identifying which methods would be successful and figuring out how to apply them. Which customer segment should you target, and how can you convince them to buy your products? How to move your business on the proper path and what the next steps are. The most important step after strategizing is to observe how your plan performs in practice and which market segments it affects. The solutions and the secret to success are revealed in the first results.

 

Why was ChargeAfter necessary

 

Meidad Sharon discussed the inspiration behind one of the greatest BNPL Fintech companies in the globe during an interview. Speaking about his experiences while working at SafeCharge between 2010 and 2016, he described how businesses requested consumer financing options like loans and credits to increase sales and the number of customers they had. The prior numbers were incredibly low because only a small portion of customers who were browsing internet shops made any purchases.

“Only 3% of the consumers that are reaching the website end up buying”, said Meidad during the interview.

Due to the rapid expansion of e-commerce and online stores, Fintech businesses have to be established to meet the demands of both customers and business owners. There were two key causes behind that, as Meidad stated. The ability to create a global lending platform to provide consumer financing, and secure payments, because fraud was on the rise, and give all parties the fastest shopping experience was made possible by two factors: first, the innovators became the mainstream on the market, and second, the customers became more sophisticated and demanding.

Meidad responded that the payment is always the end of the tunnel in whatever type of business when asked why he picked the consumer financing and BNPL fields. Retailers, customers, and lenders are the three main parties that make up a global lending or financing platform. One of these parties constantly creates market opportunities, giving financing platforms the chance to expand while also assisting other businesses, from local to global ones, to achieve success. According to Meidad, the path was challenging but intriguing because it took time to develop the best platform, and using Visa and Mastercard’s features and services was essential to resolving issues and making the platform the market leader.

 

How has it started

 

Meidad also discussed the origins of the business and the first stages of success. ChargeAfter launched quickly to receive the first reviews since it combined financing expertise with experience working with various customers and merchant types. As he previously stated, the initial experience was quite exciting, the business was focused on the market and the requirements of retailers and customers. The next stage was to develop the product in light of feedback from the initial phases and expand the distribution of the service to new customers and lenders.

 

Where is ChargeAfter Now?

 

Meidad talked about the challenges ChargeAfter faced and the current difficulty they are working on. The majority of financing platforms were still rejecting 70 percent of applications. There were so many consumer financing choices, such as loans and installment payments, accessible on the market. There wasn’t a platform that would offer every customer the same service due to the various local restrictions that apply in various nations. As he noted, the majority of funding platforms just addressed specific aspects of problems, like prime consumers problems in the US, or near-prime credits in Canada, rather than the root causes.

“There are great lenders out there, but the market is disconnected, each lender is solving the part of the puzzle, but not all the puzzle.”, stated Meided Sharon during an interview.

Therefore, there was a critical need for a consumer financing platform that would link lenders and merchants so they could provide various forms of retail credit or Buy Now Pay Later services to the public, allowing ChargeAfter to expand its loan rate from 20 to 80 percent. It was crucial to be able to assist clients from various locations while ensuring that they received the consumer financing they required. These were the driving forces for the creation of ChargeAfter, which allowed him to use the greatest features of each lender, provide customers a far higher chance of approval in BNPL, and provide retailers with the best ways to boost sales and maximize AOV (Average Order Value).

This led to the creation of ChargeAfter, the market leader in consumer financing, which has reputable lenders and allows the financing platform to provide diverse services to retailers and customers so they may obtain BNPL loans with the payment plans of their choice. As Meidad has stated, he intends to raise the number of lenders to 70 by the end of this year and is already extremely near that goal.

The entire spectrum is currently covered by ChargeAfter. Different BNPL white label services, card installments, visa installments, and non-card choices are provided by lenders. working with major financial institutions like Citizens Bank or Wells Fargo, the US leasing companies, and offering business financing to businesses. Each customer can thus choose from offers that are relevant to them.

 

Economics of ChargeAfter

 

Meidad also discussed the business’s economics and the source of its income. He compared ChargeAfter’s actions to what Visa and MasterCard accomplished decades ago, when they connected all the banks in one place and enabled the use of a single card for a variety of services.  ChargeAfter is doing the same by linking lenders with the merchants. It is charging lenders platform fees based on transaction volume in order for them to use the financing platform of ChargeAfter and maintain connections with numerous merchants across the world.

 

How does it Work

 

ChargeAfter’s financing platform is simple to use for retailers thanks to integrated systems on websites. They only need to download it and use it in their stores. Additionally, it is simple for the customers because they just need to complete the application once, and the system will match them with the best lender. The platform’s responsibility is to offer them a safe and appropriate solution to all BNPL regulations and limitations.

To accommodate the growing number of customers, the system must also be modern and functioning effectively. To be secure and up to date, the corporation invests heavily in it and tests it every month.

 

Upcoming Trends

 

The CEO also discussed future trends in the industry. According to Maided, they can predict what would happen based on the statistics they have. There are two major market trends on the horizon. First, there is an increase in loan demand. To fulfill their needs and overcome obstacles, consumers will want more credit. In the future, more consumers will seek consumer finance since BNPL white label services will be increasingly necessary for the clients as the cost of goods and services rises daily.

Second, because lenders would have stricter loan requirements, the availability of credit will be difficult. The same thing occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic when loan approval was cut in half. According to Meidad, the same scenario will occur, and certain loan organizations will either exit the market or fail to adapt to the new trends.

ChargeAfter will play a crucial role in preserving the relationship between lenders and retailers so that consumers may still choose from a choice of BNPL options for their consumer credit. However, to qualify as prime clients and receive prime offers from the financing platform, customers must maintain the highest possible credit ratings.

Meidad Sharon concluded by saying that the ChargeAfter worldwide loan platform will continue to function as a connecting network to aid customers and retailers in getting through this time.

 

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