Affirm Expands BNPL Through New Partnerships

Core Insights - Affirm Holdings Inc. is expanding its presence in the payments sector through partnerships with Fanatics and FreshBooks, targeting both consumers and small businesses [1][3]. Group 1: Partnership with Fanatics - Affirm will integrate buy now, pay later (BNPL) options into Fanatics' online sports merchandise platform, allowing customers to split purchases into biweekly or monthly payments [3]. - The offering will extend to over 180 additional team and league stores within Fanatics' network, including select locations in the U.K. and Canada [3]. - Affirm emphasizes transparency in its payment plans, which come with no hidden fees or compounding interest, differentiating itself in the BNPL market [5]. Group 2: Partnership with FreshBooks - FreshBooks has partnered with Affirm to allow its customers in the U.S. and Canada to offer clients the ability to pay invoices through Affirm, with flexible installment plans starting as low as 0% APR [5]. - This partnership positions Affirm to capture the growing demand for alternative payment methods among small business owners and freelancers, a market that has been slower to adopt consumer-style financing tools [6]. Group 3: Market Context and Strategy - The BNPL payment option remains relatively niche, with only 8.3% of consumers using it for non-grocery retail transactions, and an even smaller share of 3.8% using it for groceries [5]. - The B2B use cases for embedded financing tools like BNPL represent an underutilized opportunity, with complexities in business transactions slowing growth [6]. - Affirm is expanding its offerings ahead of the busy holiday season, including a 0% APR promotional event and a partnership with Ace Hardware [6].