Mastercard and Divido partner with lastminute.com to offer point-of-sale finance

Divido gives wings to Lastminute.com as it conquers the travel sector with Mastercard, giving consumers the chance to spread the cost of their purchases.

Over the past few years, customer finance has seen a surge in popularity amongst consumers across retail and travel. According to Divido’s latest research, The Spending Index: Big Ticket Edition, a third of UK shoppers view paying by finance as a convenient way to spread the cost of payments. When making big ticket purchases (£250 and above), 17% of UK-based consumers surveyed highlighted the availability of different finance options as the most important factor.

Lastminute.com has partnered with Divido and Mastercard to launch instant financing options, which lets retailers and businesses offer eligible customers the opportunity to spread the cost of their purchases over a period of time using instalments.

Travel companies may think their low deposit schemes (book now, pay later) are adequate, but with consumer appetite for ‘buy now, pay later’ continuing to rise, are travel providers missing a trick in the benefits offered by point-of-sale finance?

The flexibility of financing at the point of sale is particularly attractive to those faced with big-ticket purchases – in this case, travel. According to statistics published in 2018, traditional credit cards are sliding down in popularity with UK consumers: around 96% of adult Brits have a debit card, but just 60% have a credit card. Largely driven by millennials and their need for transparency and less revolving debt, lending platforms, such as Divido, are seeing an increase in sign-ups by retailers and consumers.

Enabling choice through multiple lenders is a winner for consumers, and that gives retailers a competitive edge on big-ticket items and boosts loyalty, average order size and conversion rates

Christer Holloman, CEO, Divido

“We are always looking for innovative ways to deliver seamless payment options for consumers and value-enhancing solutions for our retail partners,” says Zahir Khoja, senior vice president, Global Acceptance, Mastercard. “Our partnership with Divido and Lastminute.com gives travellers greater flexibility to book and pay when convenient for them.”

“Travel should be inspirational, not aspirational,” says Sergio Signoretti, CEO, Lastminute.com. “We want to give all travellers the opportunity to widen their horizons, and spreading out the cost of a trip over time can enable the experience of a lifetime.”

Divido’s platform provides instant access to credit by connecting shoppers to multiple lenders at the moment of purchase, whether buyers are online, on payment-enabled devices or in store. With Lastminute.com, the consumer applies for financing as part of the checkout process by providing personal information and selecting their desired loan term. The loan application is sent to the lender via API, and if approved, the consumer checks out as normal. The consumer’s monthly payments are automatic and transparent.

“Enabling choice through multiple lenders is a winner for consumers, and that gives retailers a competitive edge on big-ticket items and boosts loyalty, average order size and conversion rates,” says Christer Holloman, CEO, Divido.

If you’re interested in boosting sales and expanding your customer base with Divido’s leading multi-lender, multi-country platform, get in touch.