Kmart partners with Afterpay to offer BNPL in stores ahead of Christmas

Australians can now buy goods with Afterpay at 322 Kmart and K Hub stores after the two retail giants joined forces on Monday.

The discount chain will allow shoppers to use the buy now, pay later service in shops having previously only offered it online.

Shoppers who use Afterpay spread the cost of their purchase over four fortnightly payments, and only pay a fee if they fail to pay on time.

“Christmas shopping can be incredibly stressful and following on from another troublesome year, the Kmart and Afterpay offering in-store will provide budgeting relief to many families and individuals,” Kmart said in a statement.

“As one of the most requested partnerships by Afterpay customers, this announcement will come to great delight for the die-hard Afterpay X Kmart enthusiasts who have been campaigning for this for some time.

“The news has arrived just in time as restrictions ease and in the lead up to Christmas, signifying the mark of a brighter future for retail.”

The partnership comes weeks after Sydney residents flocked to Kmart as soon as restrictions were relaxed, with hundreds of shoppers flooding the discount store at the first opportunity.

#Freedomday is well and truly underway at Kmart Penrith. This is the checkouts at 12:30am! #COVID19nsw pic.twitter.com/7sR0dzWngg

— Yasmina Rifai (@yasminabanana) October 10, 2021

Kmart reopened its doors to Melbourne shoppers on Friday after Victoria hit its 80% double-dose vaccine milestone.

Afterpay executive vice president and country manager Katrina Konstas said the company’s research showed young Australians were especially keen to return to bricks-and-mortar shopping.

“We also know how much younger Australians have missed shopping in-store (69%) and how excited they are to hit the shops again (42%), as found in our recent Lockdown Liberation Study,” Konstas said in a statement on Monday.

Kmart general manager of stores Chris Renshaw said the company hopes to expand the Afterpay offering into New Zealand by early 2022.