BNPL Goes North - Walmart Canada's Klarna Rollout | Fast Five Shorts
Walmart Canada deploys Klarna's buy-now-pay-later service across 400+ stores. Sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and Quorso, Shoptalk’s Ben Miller joined Chris and Anne to debate whether BNPL will become ubiquitous in stores within three years or if credit cards will capture this market instead.
For the full #fastfive episode head here: https://youtu.be/M4FL5AO9AAM
#Walmart #Klarna #BNPL #Canada #Creditcards
Klarna is set to debut in more than 400 Walmart Canada stores according to Digital Transactions.
Speaker AYou're a trusted new source news source for all things transactions.
Speaker ADon't you dare think about transacting without first reading digital transactions.
Speaker AAccording to Digital Transactions, consumers can choose to pay in full or via installment payments at assisted checkout lanes for purchases of more than $50 Canadian, which is the equivalent of about one pound sterling, isn't it Ben?
Speaker AI think.
Speaker ARight?
Speaker AJust kidding.
Speaker AAll you Canadians, you know I love you.
Speaker ATo use Klarna in one of the stores, consumers can scan a QR code displayed on the point of sale screen at checkout with their mobile phone.
Speaker AHowever, Klarna is not available at self checkout lanes at this time.
Speaker AAnd finally, let's not forget in another bid to extend its reach inside stores because as of the end of the second quarter, 83.7% of all US retail sales are made in stores.
Speaker AAccording to the US Census Bureau, Klarna in June launched the Klarna card, a debit card to aid with in store store purchases.
Speaker ABen, as our resident resident from across the pond, I guess I would say are you over or under on 3 years of BNPL becoming the ubiquitous form of payments in stores?
Speaker BYeah, I can't see why not.
Speaker BIt's almost ubiquitous online.
Speaker BSo I think this is the latest development in what needs to happen which is to raise awareness that it can happen in store.
Speaker BI mean this, this is an, an awareness action.
Speaker BSo I mean firstly look it's, I think it's a big sig signal that the Clara Partnership in the US is working well and I think it's smart by Walmart because it's kind of gaining credit in their shopper's eyes for helping them live better for less by ultimately helping them do something that they can kind of already do.
Speaker BSo it's already pretty straightforward to use Kana install.
Speaker BIf you've got the app, you just create a one time card, you drop into your Apple Wallet and you use the Apple Wallet to pay for the product.
Speaker BThat's probably two steps of CX too many for most shoppers, but actually you can kind of do it.
Speaker BSo what Walmart is saying is we're just going to make it really easy for you and the more people that do that, the more awareness it will become and the more it will spread to be common behavior as it already is for millions of shoppers online.
Speaker BSo yeah, I think it's a smart move by am.
Speaker BIt's a smart move by Walmart especially.
Speaker AWhen you consider the younger generations too, they have a greater proclivity to use these types of services to the BNPLs.
Speaker AAnd what about you?
Speaker AAre you equally bullish?
Speaker AAre you taking the under as well?
Speaker AAre you going over here?
Speaker CI'm.
Speaker CI'm doing the over.
Speaker AYou are?
Speaker AWow.
Speaker CI may be completely wrong.
Speaker CI get that there's millions of people who've said signed up or who have used this a time or two, but it's just taking too long to reach like the adoption that I think it needs to.
Speaker CAnd the point that I find really interesting is many credit card companies are taking on the same approach where you can pay in installments with a credit card that's accepted at more places.
Speaker CYou don't have to question whether or not most places that you do your shopping today take visa, American Express, MasterCard, Discover, what have you or a debit card.
Speaker CAnd I think that, that, to me is the real interesting point.
Speaker CYou still can't use Klarna every single place that you shop.
Speaker CAnd so for me, I'm, I'm curious to see if people start going the route of doing this within their credit card companies where they're still doing the, you know, pay in four installments.
Speaker CBut I just think it's another thing for people to download, another thing that not people.
Speaker CPeople haven't done before and aren't familiar with.
Speaker CAnd I think credit cards are just too ubiquitous and the credit card companies are to try to capture that, that, that revenue.
Speaker AWell, I want to make sure I'm clear.
Speaker ASo you're saying.
Speaker AYou're saying the credit cards are going to get the BNPL customer in store?
Speaker CYeah, I do.
Speaker ASo then, so okay, but the question was not if Klarna will be.
Speaker AThe question was if BNPL will be over and under three years.
Speaker ASo, so do you.
Speaker ADoes that change your answer at all?
Speaker AI'm surprised you didn't hedge.
Speaker AHonestly, I'm surprised you didn't just say, yeah, three years because you always hedge on this show.
Speaker AYou know, you always.
Speaker CNo, I don't.
Speaker AOver or the under.
Speaker CI'm gonna.
Speaker CI'm still.
Speaker CI don't know.
Speaker CI feel like still over.
Speaker CI still, I still don't.
Speaker AKnowing.
Speaker CI still don't know about.
Speaker CI don't know.
Speaker CI.
Speaker CIt.
Speaker CIt still isn't BNPL payment to me because you're paying with a credit card and then you're deciding after the fact.
Speaker CSo I still would draw a distinction there, but I don't know.
Speaker CBut, but I'm guessing that I'm, I'm alone in this.
Speaker CIn this sentiment.
Speaker CAnd that's fine.
Speaker CI could be very wrong.
Speaker CBut what, why, what.
Speaker CWhat are your thoughts?
Speaker CAre you taking the over, the under?
Speaker AI don't know.
Speaker AI was.
Speaker AYou know, when I.
Speaker AWhen I first started writing my thoughts on this, I was taking the over.
Speaker AI was.
Speaker AI was taking you over because I thought, like, you.
Speaker AI was like, this is taking too long.
Speaker ABut then I got.
Speaker AThen I went back and I thought about.
Speaker AWe first heard about bmpo.
Speaker AI'll never forget where I was.
Speaker AI was in LA at a conference and I ran to the folks from Sezzle and they told me what it was.
Speaker AI was like, this is the greatest thing I've ever heard of.
Speaker AAnd that was in 2017.
Speaker ASo that's only eight years.
Speaker AAnd for me, the cycles of innovation, like in retail, from the moment I see them to, like, when they actually happen.
Speaker ANow, putting all generative AI aside, because that's just crazy town right now, but it's like 10 years, so, like, you know, three years, that puts me in 2028.
Speaker ASo that would be 11 years from when I first saw it.
Speaker ASo anyway, you do the math.
Speaker AI'm taking the under, and that's what I'm taking.
Speaker AThe one caveat I have is I think there's some financial dynamics to the model, too, in terms of how.
Speaker AHow the whole thing works and on what categories.
Speaker AIt works too, for the profitability of.
Speaker AOf the BMPL providers as well.
Speaker AThat's something that has to be taken into account, which I don't know that everyone's cracked the code on yet.
Speaker AWalmart probably has the ability to do that because it can.
Speaker AYou know, it has the entire swath of general merchandise in which it can afford this differently than others can, say, grocers.
Speaker ABut I'm still.
Speaker AI'm still taking the under.
Speaker AEspecially now that you gave me this whole thing about the credit cards getting into it.
Speaker AYeah, why not?
Speaker AI'm taking under.
Speaker AAll right.
Speaker AAll right.
Speaker ARiding and dying with under.
Speaker CNot surprised.
Speaker AYesterday on the plane, we had a bet because we flew, for those listening, we flew from LA to.
Speaker ANo, we flew from San Diego to la.
Speaker AShortest flight I've ever taken.
Speaker AThe guy next to me.
Speaker AWe had a bet on how long it would be from wheels up to touchdown.
Speaker A24 minutes.
Speaker AThat's how long it was, 24 minutes.
Speaker AI took the under, he took the over.
Speaker AI lost that one, too.
Speaker ASo.