Flexible payments can make the difference in peak season
GUEST BLOG
Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Sinterklaas, and Christmas make the end of the year the most valuable sales period of the year. Peak season does not only bring more orders. It brings different shopping behavior. That calls for a checkout set up for it.
For 5 million shoppers in the Netherlands, Klarna is already a familiar way to shop and pay. They can pay the full amount right away, within 30 days, or in 3 parts. The same checkout offers flexibility for a €40 order and a €600 gift.
By adding Klarna to your checkout, you give shoppers more choice at the moment they want to pay. At the same time, you benefit from Klarna's reach: 120 million consumers worldwide and 3.8 million transactions a day.
In peak season, the basket looks different
For most of the year, people mainly buy for themselves, in familiar price ranges, and from webshops they already know. In November and December, three things change:
Order values go up: an espresso machine for a loved one, or the console a teenager has wanted since summer
The buyer is not the user: with gifts, there is more uncertainty about size, taste, or fit
Shoppers order more often from unfamiliar webshops: while looking for the right gift, they end up at stores where they have not ordered before
That creates a different kind of shopping behavior. Shoppers want more control over their spending, and the freedom to pay when it works best for them.
The purchase is not abandoned, but postponed
Someone who postpones a purchase in December often does not come back to it in January. By then the gift has been bought somewhere else, or the moment has passed.
Klarna's flexible payment options can solve a timing problem. Splitting a €600 gift into 3 parts can lower the barrier to buying now, without a discount.
What that does to your numbers
When flexible payment options are visible at checkout, that can contribute to:
Fewer abandoned carts, because consumers can pay in a way that fits their financial planning.
A higher average order value.
Trust helps too. A payment method shoppers already know removes one more reason to hesitate at the final step, and can contribute to higher conversion.
Flexibility does not mean we help people spend more than they can afford. Every customer is assessed, on every transaction, every time. We decline the cases where paying later would not be responsible.
Buyer protection sits behind every purchase. In peak season that often makes the difference: shoppers will try an unfamiliar webshop when they know they are covered.
BNPL regulation: we are ready for the new rules
The European Consumer Credit Directive II (CCD2) brings BNPL under a stricter regulatory framework. The directive sets out that the new rules are expected to apply by 20 November 2026 at the latest. At the time of writing, the precise implementation in the Netherlands is still in development.
Providers of interest-free payment options, such as Klarna's Pay in 30 days and Pay in 3 products will have to meet stricter requirements as a result. Rules apply to how key terms and information are presented in the checkout. Providers must also carry out robust affordability checks so that credit is granted responsibly.
For many providers, this means they will need to tighten how they work. Klarna already works to high standards. Klarna is a fully licensed European bank with extensive experience in offering regulated products. Klarna is set up for regulation and ready for the arrival of CCD2 in November.
Important for retailers: Klarna expects the new regulations to require only minor adjustments for retailers in practice. Any adjustments that may be needed will depend on the specific circumstances.
Enable Klarna via Buckaroo
Don't wait until Black Friday week to get your checkout ready for peak season. Through Buckaroo, you activate Klarna easily. You give your customers more flexibility at checkout, while as a retailer you are paid upfront and in full.
Flexible payments, not only in peak season
A varied payment mix is a good starting point. What matters in the end is that shoppers can pay in a way that suits them: pay the full amount right away, pay within 30 days, or pay in 3 parts. That flexibility can lower barriers at checkout and contribute to higher conversion and order value, in peak season and the rest of the year.
This is a guest blog and reflects Klarna's insights and vision. Klarna is responsible for the content.
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