Business

BNPL vs credit cards: a comparison of B2B payment solutions for sellers

There are many payment solutions available to businesses in the B2B space. When selling products or services, selecting the payment solution best meets the needs of your business and your customers are essential. This article will discuss several payment solution options for businesses selling products or services.

What exactly is BNPL, and how does it differ from regular commercial credit card payments?

Businesses that offer BNPL (Buy Now, Pay Later) as a payment option give their customers the ability to purchase items and spread the cost over time. Customers can make monthly payments on purchased items with no interest or fees. This payment solution can benefit businesses because when they partner with a business provider, the provider typically shoulders the financial risk the seller normally has.

In fact, businesses that offer BNPL as a payment option can often improve their cash flow because they can receive payment within a certain period upfront from the BNPL provider, regardless of whether their customer has paid or how much they have paid.

 

How does BNPL benefit sellers compared to traditional credit card payment methods?

There are several benefits that BNPL offers to businesses over traditional credit card payments:

  • As mentioned above, BNPL can improve cash flow because businesses get paid within a certain period regardless of when their customer pays.
  • BNPL can help businesses increase sales by offering customers an alternative to traditional credit card payments.
  • BNPL providers can also take care of a business’s financial administration and help them do credit checks and manage invoices, which is not an option for businesses that strictly employ credit card payment methods.

How do credit card payment methods benefit sellers compared to BNPL?

On the other hand, there may be businesses reluctant to take on BNPL as a payment method in their web shops because of unfamiliarity with how it works. This is indeed valid, and even more so in the B2B space, where BNPL does not have a strong presence.

As such, many may choose to default to implementing credit card payment methods in their web shops for these reasons:

  • Credit card payments are typically processed more quickly than other payments, which can benefit businesses selling products or services online.
  • Businesses are most familiar with the operations of credit card payment methods, which makes the process of setting up a web shop much easier.

So, which one is best for my web shop – BNPL or credit card payment?

You may be wondering then, what the best solution for your web shop would be – BNPL or credit cards. The answer is – perhaps both.

If you are a small business, you may consider implementing BNPL to make sure you do not experience problems with your cash flow. When you partner with a BNPL provider, you will also have someone take care of the financial administrative tasks on your behalf, including conducting automatic credit checks and chasing late invoices. This can be a great upside if you have a small team not too experienced with processing payments.

If you are a medium to large corporation regularly selling high ticket items, you may also consider implementing BNPL so that someone else can shoulder your financial risk on your behalf, and to ensure that you always get paid, regardless of when your customers make your payments.

However, truth to be told, it is also worth implementing the good old credit card payment method, simply because it is what most buyers have always known, and it is what they flock to when they want to purchase items online. Credit cards have been around for decades, and it is clear that they are not going anywhere.

 

Choosing the best BNPL and credit card payment providers

When choosing a payment provider for your business, you should consider the fees charged by each provider as well as your buyer’s customer journeys. Do they typically prefer to pay with credit cards, debit cards, or BNPL? How much will you be getting out of a certain partnership? And how will that benefit your business in terms of cash flow?

Conclusion

Choosing the right payment solution for your business can be a difficult decision. Several factors to consider include the type of products or services you sell, your sales volume, and the fees charged by different providers. However, by comparing the pros and cons of each option, you can make the best decision for your business.