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Buy now, pay later services might be mostly associated with e-commerce, but BNPL providers are steadily moving acceptance into stores. The latest is Klarna AB with Monday’s announcement it is now an in-store payment method at more than 400 Walmart Inc. locations across Canada.
Sweden-based Klarna says Walmart is its largest retailer in Canada. The in-store acceptance complements Walmart.ca and mobile-app options. Consumers can choose to pay in full or via installment payments at assisted checkout lanes for purchases of more than $50 CAD. To use Klarna in one of the stores, consumers scan a QR code displayed on the point-of-sale screen at checkout with their mobile phone. Klarna is not available at self-checkout lanes at this time, a Klarna spokesperson says.
Walmart Canada first began working with Klarna, which entered the U.S. market in 2015 and Canada seven years later, in 2023, via online methods. “Introducing BNPL options, powered by Klarna, across our stores allows us to provide even more payment choice to the 1.5 million customers we have the opportunity to serve each day,” Joseph Godsey, Walmart Canada chief growth officer, says in a statement.
In March, Klarna, in conjunction with OnePay, a consumer-finance app, began offering installment loans for purchases made at U.S. Walmart stores. The payment option will be integrated inside Walmart at the checkout later this year. This move also resulted in the ouster of former BNPL provider Affirm Inc. in favor of Klarna at Walmart.
In another bid to extend its reach inside stores—as of the end of the second quarter 83.7% of all U.S. retail sales are made in stores, according to the U.S. Census Bureau—Klarna in June launched the Klarna Card, a debit card.
