Pay later with Sezzle: the impact of Fintech

By Kate Lalic

Apr 1, 2022

Sezzle’s mission is “Empowering the next Generation,” and is committed to providing credit access to those who need it, granting consumers financial freedom.

Sezzle’s mission is “Empowering the next Generation,” and is committed to providing credit access to those who need it, granting consumers financial freedom.

Molsoft and Sezzle decided to come together to create a co-blog post and keep you posted about the new trends, technologies and features you can add to your Shopify Store.

Let's talk about our partner: Sezzle, empowering the next generation.  

The Company

What are the company's values? 

Sezzle’s mission is “Empowering the next Generation,” and is committed to providing credit access to those who need it, granting consumers financial freedom and driving a positive impact in the community.

Sezzle seeks to show others “The Way Forward'' through action, as it brings its mission to life; from employee to consumer to merchant and communities - locally, nationally and globally. As a B Corp and Public Benefit Corporation, Sezzle abides by rigorous social and environmental standards - respecting and celebrating our planet and our communities in addition to our financial goals. 

What's your favorite part about being part of the Sezzle family?

The collaborative culture and the willingness to partner together is one of the best parts of being a Sezzler! Ever since our inception, we’ve been an incredibly nimble organization, and different teams on the Sezzle team are always willing to work together to tackle problems, identify opportunities, and discover solutions.

Sezzle’s B Corporation certification is a testament to our organization’s commitment to positively impact our customers, employees, community, and environment, which is very motivating and satisfying.

Tell me more about your B-corp certification and how did Sezzle start innovating as a sustainable company?

Sezzle achieved  B Corp certification in March 2021, which is a testament to its commitment to  social values. Only 3,500 companies in the world have achieved this and Sezzle is the only payments company to have the distinction.

B Corp certification means Sezzle has been recognized as a leader in advancing important environmental, social and economic causes. They have strengthened their position as the leading mission-driven payments platform in North America, with a growing presence in Asia and Europe.  As a B Corp, Sezzle goes beyond finance by supporting empowerment across many facets of users' lives, creating a better world for the next generation through ethical initiatives. As part of making social responsibility a cornerstone of its business culture, Sezzle recently announced five key initiatives for 2021, including a partnership with Trees for the Future, in which the company will donate to farmers’ training in sub-Saharan Africa, giving them the ability to plant millions of trees, thereby increasing income and access to food while regenerating their land.  

A huge step on the road to B Corp certification happened on 1 June 2020, when Sezzle reincorporated as a Public Benefit Corporation, making Sezzle the first BNPL with this status. A Public Benefit Corporation is a legal designation that requires businesses to do right by all stakeholders. This means that a company's managers and board must lead the business in a way that contributes to a general public benefit, in addition to seeking a financial return for investors.

As CEO Charlie Youakim said at the time, "Becoming a PBC cements our company's ethos – 'to financially empower the next generation' – into our governance structure [and] strengthens our positioning as the marquee mission-driven payments platform in North America. It shows that we are not just paying 'lip service' to the business' mission side – we are 'walking the walk.'" 

In 2020,  Newswire said: Sezzle has now passed the one million mark for active End-customers. Are you close to the 2millon mark?

Yes, in fact, we’re well past the 2 million mark! We’ve now passed over 5 million consumer sign ups in Canada and the USA. We also launched pilots in India and Germany, which are off to a good start.  

Fintech

Do you think financial literacy classes can impact our next generations and how they will spend- invest their money? Should financial literacy be taught in class (for example high school) ?

In a 2020 survey by the National Financial Educators Council, 84.5% of respondents felt that high school students should take personal finance courses in high school. Clearly, there is a lack of financial preparedness being felt by today’s adults. Many don’t have a basic understanding of finances and credit, and not only struggle with daily budgeting, but also don’t know where to begin when it comes to saving and investing for their futures.

Offering financial education in high school could significantly improve the financial wellbeing of young people - arming them with the sound financial knowledge they need before entering the workplace and a lifetime of financial responsibility. 

If I'm a retailer with an e-commerce boutique, what are the advantages of adding Sezzle to my Shopify ?

Sezzle is a platform that enables e-commerce merchants the ability to offer installment-based payments plans to their retail customers. Customers can break up purchases into six interest-free payments, which unlocks their purchasing power while enabling retailers to increase order volumes. Sezzle provides value to both users and merchants, by supplying users with a graduated path to better credit and buying power, and merchants with access to new users who can buy more, more often.

Simply put: For merchants, Sezzle means more buyers, repeat customers, and bigger transaction amounts. It enables consumers to finally make those big purchases they have been putting off, enabling higher conversion rates for merchants.

New Customers Reach an audience of over 2 million active Sezzle users.

Larger Purchases Splitting payments into four installments encourages larger orders.

Zero Risk We assume all credit risk. You get paid in full immediately. 

Plus, Sezzle is about more than selling. We're a Public Benefits Corporation on a mission to enable shoppers to take control of their financial futures, spend responsibly, and achieve financial freedom. Sezzle is also the only BNPL that has achieved B Corp certification and has a commitment to social and green initiatives, including planting trees, carbon offsetting, awarding scholarships and ethical collaborations. 

Learn more about Sezzle here.

Thank you to Swad Sathe and Andrea Simmons for your collaboration and participation to this article!