> the way borrowers interact with it, which is what matters, is very different
And the differences are?
And the differences are?
BNPL is a product that merchants pay for because it increases their conversion rate: customers who wouldn’t otherwise buy something, will buy it, by clicking a button and entering into a financial agreement at checkout.
BNPL has been around for decades, the innovation of digital BNPL is in making it so easy for someone to walk into a financial commitment. For example, BNPL is very effective for fashion e-commerce, a market where it’s normal for a customer to fill their basket with products and then whittle it down to stay within their budget at checkout: BNPL is an antidote to that, it tells the consumer, “you don’t need to stay in budget! Just pay for it in future!”.
We've had BNPL for long time here in Central America and South America. In this side of the world, it's also the merchants that pay higher credit card processing fees for accepting BNPL payments.
What's curious is that BNPL in Central and South America is actually provided by the plain old banks or credit card issuers themselves. They are also 0% interest (Tasa 0/Cuotas/Visacuotas) and can be split in 3 up to 24 months depending on the purchase.
They are quite handy for larger than normal purchases, like an unexpected car repair or a tire change. But they can also be used for vacations, iPhones, laptops, furniture, appliance. In some countries you can even split a fast food meal in 0% installments.
[1] https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/will-a-buy-now-pay-...