Sezzle

Sezzle operates heavily as the "Champion of the Underdog" in the BNPL space. It aggressively targets Gen Z, college students, and consumers with incredibly thin or poor credit files who are routinely rejected by the strict underwriting algorithms of Affirm or Klarna. Its absolute defining feature is its "Sezzle Up" credit-building program. Normally, BNPL services do not help your credit score. Sezzle allows users to opt-in, and it will actively report their successful "Pay in 4" payments to the massive credit bureaus (Equifax, TransUnion, Experian). This allows young shoppers to actively build their traditional FICO credit score simply by paying for their t-shirts on time, creating massive, cult-like brand loyalty. Because of its incredibly high consumer approval rates, it is heavily favored by small to mid-sized boutique Shopify merchants. A boutique owner knows that if a customer with a thin credit file tries to use Klarna, they might get rejected and abandon the cart. Sezzle's lenient underwriting guarantees the merchant gets the sale, significantly lowering cart abandonment rates for smaller brands.