BUY NOW, PAY LATER OPTIONS DRIVE E-COMMERCE SPENDING TOWARD HOME GOODS AND FURNITURE AS COVID-19 OUTBREAK CONTINUES

New Data from Klarna Show that Home Furnishings Stores and Furniture Stores Hit Year-to-Date Highs in Daily Volumes During the Last Week

New York, NY (April 17, 2020) – Klarna, a leading global payments and shopping provider, today released new data that indicate strong volume growth in home goods and furniture categories purchased in the US through the Klarna app, which allows consumers to shop from any online store. Specialty home furnishings stores saw a year-to-date high on April 5, when the Klarna-enabled transaction volume at such stores was 111% higher than the daily average for 2020. In addition, furniture stores registered a year-to-date high on April 10, with transaction volumes up 61% versus the daily average.

“We’ve seen a trend of US consumers focusing on home improvement projects as they remain under ‘stay at home’ orders during the coronavirus outbreak,” said David Sykes, Head of US at Klarna. “Our recent data indicate they are taking advantage of mobile shopping and flexible payment options to make their homes more comfortable during this crisis and tackle DIY projects that they may have been putting off.”

Home-related goods purchases made through the Klarna app continued their upward trend in the week of April 5–11, according to the company’s transaction volume data. Klarna has been analyzing share of wallet, or how Klarna app users are dividing their spending among different shopping categories, week by week to identify what product categories Gen Zers, millennials and Gen Xers are shopping for most often using Klarna’s flexible payment options and how they are shifting their e-commerce spending as the coronavirus pandemic wears on.

Klarna app users’ share of spending on home and garden items—such as furniture, tools and home improvement, pet supplies, kitchenware, plants and flowers, and cleaning products—grew by 26% among Gen Zers, by 5% among millennials and by 2% among Gen Xers week over week in the week ended April 11.

Over the next several weeks, Klarna will continue to analyze transaction data weekly to identify how the coronavirus outbreak is affecting e-commerce and consumer shopping behavior.

Other Key Findings

• Week over week in the week ended April 11, the apparel, footwear and accessories category’s share of all purchases made through the Klarna app decreased among Gen Zers and millennials and remained flat among Gen Xers.
• Gen Zers’ share of spending on the health and beauty category was flat week over week in the week ended April 11, while millennials’ and Gen Xers’ share of spending on the category decreased slightly.
• Klarna app users increased their share of spending on leisure, sport and hobby items week over week for the third week in a row. Share of spending on this category was up 11% among Gen Zers, up 2% among millennials and up 1% among Gen Xers, indicating shoppers are still looking for fun diversions as they remain at home during the COVID-19 outbreak.
• Klarna app–enabled purchases on marketplaces (which include sites such as Amazon.com, Walmart.com, Target.com and eBay.com) fell among all three age groups in the week ended April 11. 
• Gen Zers slightly decreased their share of spending on electronics week over week in the week ended April 11, while millennials and Gen Xers slightly increased their share of spending on the category.

Klarna analyzed purchase volumes for items bought through the Klarna app, which allows consumers to shop any online store, for the weeks of April 5–11, March 29–April 4, March 22–28, March 15–21 and for an average week based on the five-week period covering February 1–March 7, 2020. The data were distributed as share of total, and did not account for any increases or decreases of volume within any of the age groups analyzed—Gen Zers ages 18 and older (born 1997–2002), millennials (born 1981–1996) and Gen Xers (born 1965–1980). The data indicate only the distribution of purchase volumes among the following categories for each age group:

• Apparel, footwear and accessories: adult and kids clothing and shoes, underwear, jewelry and watches, sunglasses, bags, and wallets

• Leisure, sport and hobby: sports and outdoor gear, concept stores, hobby articles, prints and photos, costumes, and party supplies
• Home and garden: furniture, tools and home improvement, pet supplies, kitchenware, plants and flowers, and cleaning and sanitary products
• Health and beauty: personal care and haircare, cosmetics, dietary supplements, fragrances, and prescription optics
• Marketplace: items purchased from the likes of Amazon.com, Walmart.com, Target.com and eBay.com
• Electronics: diversified electronics, electronic equipment and related accessories, household electronics (including white goods and appliances), office machines and related accessories (excluding computers), and car electronics
• Intangible items: travel services and event tickets

We make shopping smooth. With Klarna, consumers can buy now and pay later, so they can get what they need today. Klarna’s offering to consumers and retailers includes payments, social shopping and personal finances. Over 200,000 merchants, including H&M, IKEA, Expedia Group, Samsung, ASOS, Peloton, Abercrombie & Fitch, Nike and AliExpress, have enabled Klarna’s innovative shopping experience online and in-store. Klarna is the most highly valued fintech in Europe, with a valuation of $5.5 billion, and one of the largest private fintechs globally. Klarna was founded in 2005, has over 3,000 employees and is active in 17 countries. Klarna’s North American offices are in Columbus, Ohio; Los Angeles; and New York. Klarna Credit is issued by WebBank, member FDIC. For more information, visit

klarna.com.

Media contact:

Berns Communications Group
Michael McMullan/Danielle Poggi
212-994-4660
mmcmullan@bcg-pr.com/dpoggi@bcg-pr.com