You’ve probably been given the option to “buy now and pay later” when attempting to purchase products or services this year.
In years past, this option was usually connected to credit cards – but a wave of fast-growing financial startups has made Buy Now Pay Later, or BNPL, a common sight on eCommerce checkout pages. You may have thought to yourself, “maybe I could use BNPL in my inspection business,” but you’re not sure how to start, or whether it’s even a worthwhile payment option for your clients.
What is Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL)?
In general terms, Buy Now Pay Later, or BNPL, is simply any method of payment for goods or services that allows you to receive what you’ve paid for today while stretching your full repayment out over a defined period of time.
Mortgages and other loans are the most common form of “BNPL” payment. However, when we talk about BNPL in this article, we will be primarily referring to Guardian’s latest payment feature inside ISN titled, “FlexFund.”
What are some benefits of Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL)?
So, why would a home inspector want to offer a pay-later option to their clients? Because it can increase their average inspection invoice. In fact, we will share some data below to prove that it has for many inspectors using the FlexFund program.
A recent study performed at MIT sought to see the differences in brain activity when consumers paid with cash versus credit card. They found that using credit cards accelerated spending by sensitizing reward networks in the brain, making the purchase more “enjoyable” to the consumer.
In other words, pushing payment to a later date reduced the stress of spending and allowed consumers to feel more comfortable making purchases. This is something that home inspectors should be considering when recommending ancillary services to their clients.
As a consumer, you might have a love-hate relationship with BNPL options. Credit cards and other installment loans have long been blamed for high levels of consumer debt, after all. However, BNPL tends to have more upsides than drawbacks for most businesses, starting with how it affects buying decisions…
- 360 million people use BNPL around the world
- 50% of US consumers have used BNPL (up from 38% in 2020)
- 47% of Gen Z consumers (and 41% of Millennials) will use BNPL by 2025
- 38% of consumers use BNPL at least once a month
- The average consumer has 3.8 BNPL loans
- 28% of small and midsize businesses are already offering BNPL
- Ecommerce retailers see 2.1% higher conversion rates with BNPL
- 67% of BNPL users think the services could replace credit cards
- The average BNPL transaction is worth $689
- An estimated $180 billion in BNPL loans will be made in 2022
- Up to 90% of BNPL users are repeat customers
Consumers often see BNPL as a way to buy things they might not have been otherwise able to afford, and they’re often using BNPL to pay for expensive things, like big-screen TVs… or home inspection services.
FlexFund
At Guardian, we have been helping home inspectors process payments for decades, and our recent “BNPL” option, FlexFund has produced some compelling numbers in its favor…
- 30% average increase in inspection invoices with FF
- $154.63 average increase in inspection invoice values with FF
- $6,298.32 average increase in overall revenue (January 1 – October 31, 2023)
How to use Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) as a home inspector
FlexFund is a BNPL option that was developed specifically to support home inspectors. The service essentially serves as a sort of inspection-payment collection agency that works directly with your clients’ title company. Guardian funds inspectors up front for their inspection fees within 24 hours of the inspection being completed. Inspectors get paid no matter what – even if the sale doesn’t make it to closing.
When homebuyers opt into FlexFund, there is nothing that shows up on the credit report to indicate a loan of any sort. Since homebuyers are typically advised to avoid taking on substantial debt or incurring any hard inquiries in the period leading up to their purchase, offering a specific BNPL option like FlexFund can be of great assistance when they want to take advantage of extra services but may be watching their spending.
The Guardian team takes care of collecting payment from your clients’ title companies and charges a flat fee per job for every invoice processed through FlexFund. We’ve even developed new fee structures and talking points for our inspectors, and we’d be happy to talk you through everything so you can start earning more from every job and stressing less about every payment.
Want to see what FlexFund can do for your inspection business? Get in touch with us today at 1-800-608-7363, email us at [email protected], or follow this link for more information and instructions.