The news: Consumers expect flexible financing options during their shopping journey, especially for big-ticket items, per a report from Synchrony’s Major Purchase Study.

The findings: Shoppers are motivated by financing opportunities—half of consumers take time to research deals to secure the best value for their purchases.

• 81% of shoppers expect to see financing opportunities upfront.
• 20% of consumers visit a specific retailer because of a financing opportunity.
• And 68% of shoppers claimed financing impacted their purchase decision.

What this means: Merchants need to clearly advertise their available financing options to consumers, from co-brand credit cards to buy now, pay later (BNPL) installment where consumers can see before checking out—whether in store or online.

With the shopping journey for big-ticket items tightened from 55 days in 2023 to 45 days this year, per Synchrony’s report, retailers have less time to capture shoppers’ attention for sales. Promoting multiple forms of credit could help win over these consumers.

Our take: Advertising financing is essential, but making it easy for consumers to access is even more important. 

Simplifying checkout through one-click buy buttons or QR code scans  in-store can streamline users’ experience for high pressure purchases and drive loyalty to those retailers for making the process painless.