New Data from Klarna Point to Shoppers Using Buy Now, Pay Later Options to Freshen Workplace Wardrobes and Treat Themselves to “Little Luxuries”

New York, NY (May 8, 2020) – Klarna, a leading global payments and shopping provider, today released new data showing that women’s ready-to-wear clothing saw a 20% week-over-week rise in average daily transactions made through the Klarna app, which allows consumers to shop at any online store. In addition, average daily transaction volumes for jewelry continued on an upward trend, rising by 35% week over week in the week ended May 2.

“As various states loosen their stay-at-home orders and more people begin to return to work, our data suggest that female consumers may be looking to refresh their closets with in-season ready-to-wear apparel,” said David Sykes, Head of US at Klarna. “Another interesting trend our data is revealing is that jewelry transactions are continuing to trend upward, rising by 35% week over week. That may indicate that consumers are treating themselves, or perhaps their loved ones, to little luxuries in the midst of the ongoing pandemic.”

Aside from analyzing average daily volumes to identify simple increases and decreases in category transactions week to week, Klarna has also been analyzing share of wallet—or how its app users are dividing their spending among different shopping categories—to identify what product categories Gen Zers, millennials and Gen Xers are shopping for most often using Klarna’s flexible payment options and how their e-commerce spending is shifting as the coronavirus crisis continues.

Klarna’s most recent demographic data show that from April 25 through May 2, Gen Z and millennial Klarna app users increased their share of spending on apparel, footwear and accessories for the third week in a row. The jewelry subcategory, which saw 35% week-over-week transaction growth, also saw average order value tick up 4% to $154 in the week ended May 2 from $148 the previous week.

Over the coming weeks, Klarna, which serves 7 million consumers in the US and 85 million consumers globally, 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 May 2, the apparel, footwear and accessories category’s share of all purchase transactions made through the Klarna app increased 4% among Gen Zers and nearly 2% among millennials, while decreasing 3% among Gen Xers.
• Gen Xers continued their seven-week trend of shifting share of wallet toward home and garden items in the week ended May 2, suggesting they are continuing to focus on DIY improvements and making their living environments more comfortable as the pandemic wears on. Millennials’ share of spending on home and garden was flat versus the previous week, while Gen Zers’ share of spending on the category fell 27% week over week.
• Millennials and Gen Xers increased their share of spending on leisure, sport and hobby items week over week, while Gen Zers’ share of spending on the category fell slightly. The musical instruments subcategory also had another strong week, with transactions up 15% week over week.
• All three demographic groups decreased their share of spending on health and beauty items week over week, but increased their share of spending on electronics, perhaps indicating they had stocked up on personal care and grooming items in previous weeks.
• Week over week, share of spending on marketplaces (which include sites such as Amazon.com, Walmart.com, Target.com and eBay.com) increased 9% among Gen Zers and 2% among millennials. Gen Xers’ share of spending on the category was flat versus the previous week.

Methodology

Klarna analyzed purchase volumes for items bought through the Klarna app, which allows consumers to shop at any online store, for the weeks of April 26–May 2, April 19–25, April 12–18, 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

About Klarna

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