Imagine the scene, you stroll into a store help yourself to some items which have caught your eye, waltz out and shout to the horrified shop assistant “I’ll send the money later thanks”. This may sound ridiculous or too good to be true but it is in fact the new way to shop at many stores online.
Opening doors for cash strapped shoppers, Klarna offers online purchasers the concept of ‘buy now pay later’, giving users the chance to try items before parting with cash. This option has caused plenty of discussion, with two sides of the argument being presented.
The first being that of convenience and a way to enable cash-strapped shoppers the chance to not miss out on a piece simply due to timing. The latter being the risky temptation to spend money you don’t have and go down the slippery slope to over committing your finances. Klarna does claim it does a form of soft credit check to ensure it’s users are eligible to use the service prior to spending before they pay, which proves them to take some form of responsibility.
As the service works by items being sent out and if not returned within timescales then billed to the customer, we forsee an increase in swift wear-once-send-back habits increasing. That said, there is the argument that people may order more than planned and end up keeping more as a result as they don’t have to pay immediately.
For those who plan on using responsibly Klarna can be a godsend when trying to get a night out outfit pre-payday or order a range of items in multiple sizes to find the best fit.
