Prime Day 2024 shatters records yet again as consumers stock up on essentials: Shoppers spent $14.2 billion online, spurred by significant discounts and the chance to get a head start on back-to-school needs.

Digital wallets’ transformation into commerce enablers speeds up. We make a case for digital-only consumer credit cards. And we see a new threat that BNPL poses to credit cards.

Two-thirds (66%) of US adults have used a credit card within the last 12 months, the most popular method of credit usage, according to an April 2024 survey from NerdWallet conducted by The Harris Poll.

More Gen Zers said card-linked plans are better for shopping than fintech offerings.

Proximity mobile payments are on a growth tear, driven by strong spend per user. Here’s how providers are using wallet integration and new features to make proximity payments stickier.

They’re getting hit harder with late fees and are relying on debt to pay for necessities.

It also includes features to minimize checkout friction as Google Pay tries to streamline the experience

In the last of five reports in our “Payments Ecosystem” collection, we look at what’s influencing retail sales growth across in-store, online, and social commerce channels—and what it means for payment providers.

A flurry of product and services launches will help Visa stay competitive and diversify away from swipe fee revenues

Checkout might be the last step in the customer journey, but if there’s friction at a retailer’s point-of-sale—long lines, frustrating self-checkout machines, or a lack of payment options, for example—shoppers might bail. Solutions like smart carts, mobile checkout, and biometrics could provide relief.

BNPL is still a small retail payments player. While 73% of US consumers said they’d heard of BNPL in 2022, just 5.8% said they’d used it at least once over a 30-day period. US BNPL value will hit $80.77 billion in 2024, per our forecast—just 1.1% of total US retail sales.

In the second of five reports in our “Payments Ecosystem 2024” collection, we look at what’s influencing how consumers are paying today—and what payment providers can do to capture a larger piece of the retail spending pie.

Payment providers are tapping genAI to personalize marketing offers and virtual assistants while streamlining customer checkout. These tools could help providers monetize transaction data and help merchants drive sales.

An aversion to risk and debt has narrowed down their choice of banking products and led them to adopt unconventional money-management tactics.

Sezzle and Klarna made progress toward long-term profitability in 2023—we look at how they’re using subscriptions to help make that happen

The service may incentivize more shoppers to pay with the BNPL provider, and it may also bring Klarna key data benefits

The debit card gave Affirm a boost in active users and strong numbers, but to continue this pace of growth, Affirm may need to get creative

The subscription service model is growing in popularity across the payments industry as it provides payment transparency for consumers and a steady stream of revenues for providers

These self-aware young customers know that their mental health drives their financial behavior. They need help making better saving and spending decisions.

On the first podcast episode of the new year, we discuss what buy now, pay later's (BNPL’s) prospects will look like in 2024. • In our “Story by Numbers” segment, we focus on the outlook for BNPL by looking at growth by generation. • In “Headlines,” we examine data from Adobe Analytics that states BNPL purchases were up 43% on Cyber Monday compared with the previous year, and how the rise of BNPL use over the holidays has increased consumers' debt burden. • In “For Argument’s Sake,” we debate whether BNPL promotes good or bad behavior. Listen to the podcast with host Rob Rubin and our analysts Grace Broadbent and David Morris.