E-commerce
September 17, 2026
Are you wondering if buy now, pay later (BNPL) has a lasting impact on your e-commerce business?
Yes, and it is not limited to a simple increase in conversion. Services like Klarna or Affirm reduce purchase friction, but they also redefine your marketing, your customer relationship, and the complexity of your sales funnel.
Warning: these solutions are gradually transforming your store into a showcase for their own marketplace. Understanding these effects helps you decide if you should adopt them, and how.
So, does buy now, pay later have a lasting impact on your e-commerce? On the agenda:
Why is buy now, pay later so appealing to buyers?
How do these services turn your marketing into a necessity?
What is the effect on your brand differentiation?
How to preserve customer relationships when dealing with these intermediaries?
What strategy should you adopt to avoid payment complexity?
Let's get started.
Summary
Why is installment payment so appealing to buyers?
Installment payments, also known as Buy Now Pay Later, meet an immediate need: reducing financial pressure. During holiday seasons or periods of crisis, buyers hesitate to spend a large amount at once. Splitting a purchase into four interest-free payments makes the product more accessible.
For the merchant, integration is simple. You get paid immediately, fees remain reasonable, and there is generally no upfront cost. The result: the conversion rate increases, as the customer no longer has to choose between their desire and their budget.
But this convenience has a downside. The customer no longer comes just for your product, but for the ease of payment. Your offer becomes secondary, and that is where the long term is played out.
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How do these services transform your marketing into a necessity?
Take the example of Klarna. At the time of the source, this company generated around 85 million impressions on social networks each month, with 7.5 million monthly active users. Its app was among the most downloaded, ahead of giants like Etsy or Best Buy.
The consequence: some of your potential customers discover your products via the Klarna app, and not through your marketing campaigns. They buy because installment payment is possible, not because they saw your advertisement.
Your traditional marketing efforts (SEO, advertisements) then become less decisive. Offering this payment method is no longer an advantage, but a condition to remain visible. Without it, you lose sales to competitors who offer it.
What is the effect on your brand differentiation?
When installment payment becomes a buying criterion, it standardizes the experience. Every shop using Klarna or Affirm looks the same to the customer. Your brand loses part of its identity, as the choice is made on the ease of payment rather than the quality of the product.
It is a bit like on Amazon: the sellers who succeed are those who offer a differentiated product, not those who sell national brands. With installment payments, the same principle applies. If your product is commonplace, the customer will choose the cheapest or the most convenient, not your brand.
To remain competitive, you must strengthen your value proposition: customer service, quality, brand image. Installment payment should not be your only selling point.
How can customer relationships be preserved in the face of these intermediaries?
When a customer pays with Klarna or Affirm, they become a customer of two entities: yours and that of the payment service. This is already the case with Visa or Mastercard, but the latter remain discreet. They do not push the customer to buy elsewhere through aggressive campaigns.
Klarna and Affirm, on the other hand, actively promote their application. They encourage users to "pay in four installments in any store". The customer may therefore be tempted to look for the same product from a competitor, simply because the application suggests it to them.
To maintain control, you must nurture your customer relationship: personalized emails, loyalty program, post-purchase follow-up. The closer the customer feels to your brand, the less sensitive they will be to the intermediary's solicitations.
What strategy should be adopted to avoid the complexity of payments?
If you multiply buy now, pay later services (Klarna, Affirm, PayPal, Afterpay, Sezzle…), your checkout page risks looking like a European football jersey: too many logos, too much choice. The customer can feel lost, and friction returns through the back door.
The solution is to limit the number of options. Choose one or two services that match your target audience. Test their impact on your conversions and average cart value. Keep only those that bring real value, without overloading the interface.
Also consider the technical integration: your e-commerce solution must handle these payments without errors, including refunds and cancellations. Poor management creates dissatisfaction and disputes.
Does paying in installments promote customer loyalty?
In the short term, installment payment is an excellent acquisition tool. It attracts customers who would not have purchased without this facility. But in the long term, it does not automatically build loyalty. The customer returns if your product and service are good, not just because you offer four-times payment.
To transform this tool into a loyalty lever, use your customers' data (with their consent) to personalize your offers. For example, offer a rewards program to customers who use this payment method. This encourages them to return directly to you, rather than going through the service's app.
Clearly, installment payment is a means, not an end. Your goal remains to create a lasting relationship with the customer.
What is the impact on your profitability?
With installment payments, you are paid immediately by the service, but it comes at a cost. Transaction fees are generally higher than for a traditional credit card. On low margins, this can reduce your profitability.
Furthermore, in the event of a refund or dispute, the process can be complex. The payment service may withhold funds or apply penalties. It is essential to read the conditions carefully and calculate the impact on your margin.
To avoid unpleasant surprises, integrate these fees into your pricing strategy. Test over a given period and compare with your other payment methods. If the margin is too low, consider limiting this payment method to orders above a certain amount.
How to avoid a "discount" brand image?
Offering installment payments can be perceived positively: you show that you understand your customers' budget constraints. However, it can also project a "discount" brand image if you promote it too aggressively.
It is all a matter of balance. Highlight this payment method for high-value products, but do not make it your main selling point. Your brand must remain associated with quality, not with easy credit.
Communicate the benefits for the customer (flexibility, interest-free) rather than the technical details. This reinforces a service-oriented brand image while avoiding the pitfall of "everything on credit".
Payment in installments or classic credit: which to choose?
Installment payment differs from traditional credit in its simplicity and cost. No paperwork, no interest (in most cases), and a decision in seconds. This is what makes it so attractive to buyers.
But this simplicity has a downside: the customer can accumulate purchases without really measuring their budget. For you, this means a risk of disputes or refunds if the customer cannot pay. Services like Klarna or Affirm manage this risk, but they may charge you fees in the event of a problem.
For the merchant, traditional credit (via financing agencies) is often more cumbersome to set up, but it may be better suited for very large amounts. Installment payment is ideal for average baskets, between 50 and 500 euros for example.
How to measure the effectiveness of this payment method?
To find out if installment payments are profitable, track specific indicators: conversion rate, average cart value, return rate, and dispute rate. Compare this data with and without this payment method over a significant period.
Use A/B testing: offer installment payments to one group, and not to the other. Analyze the differences in behavior. Watch out for biases: customers who use this payment method may have a different profile (younger, more price-sensitive).
Do not forget to measure the impact on loyalty: do customers who pay in installments return more often? Do they buy more? If not, the tool is just a cost, not an investment.
Comment Qstomy peut-il vous aider ?
Qstomy, the Shopify AI agent, can automatically answer frequently asked questions about installment payments: how it works, what the deadlines are, how to get a refund. This reduces the load on your support team and improves customer satisfaction.
Thanks to the integration with your Shopify data, Qstomy can also track orders and inform the customer about their payment status. It can even offer alternatives in case of refusal, such as cash on delivery or bank transfer.
Finally, Qstomy can help you identify customers who use this payment method and offer them personalized deals, thus strengthening the customer relationship. It is a way to transform a simple payment tool into a loyalty lever.
Key points to check before you start
Before getting started, check these points:
Compatibility: does your e-commerce platform support the chosen service?
Costs: what are the fixed and variable fees? Impact on your margin?
Customer experience: is payment seamless on mobile and desktop?
Support: how do you manage disputes and refunds?
Strategy: is this payment method aligned with your brand image?
In short, installment payment is a powerful tool, but it should not become your only strategy. Use it to improve conversion, but invest in differentiation and customer relationship.
FAQ
Is installment payment suitable for all products? No, it is more relevant for average baskets and high-value products. Test on a selection of products.
What are the risks for the merchant? Fees, disputes, and loss of control over the customer relationship. Proper management is essential.
How to choose between Klarna, Affirm, or others? Compare fees, awareness among your target audience, and ease of integration. Test only one service at a time.
To go further: Does retail trade include online sales? - Qstomy, Training an e-commerce chatbot with Shopify: using the right data without creating bad answers - Qstomy, What are the most popular Shopify stores? - Qstomy, Brand tone and AI chatbot: keeping a consistent voice in customer responses - Qstomy, Can we sell Amazon products on Shopify? - Qstomy, How to manage customer questions about gift cards combined with card payment - Qstomy, How do social networks influence e-commerce? - Qstomy.
Enzo
September 17, 2026
