Buy now, pay later (BNPL) company Affirm and ticketing platform SeatGeek have formed a partnership to give fans more ways to access live entertainment, according to a Thursday (July 14) press release.
“Attending live events is at the top of many of our lists for 2022 and beyond, but so is sticking to a budget,” said Affirm Chief Revenue Officer Geoff Kott in the release. “…By partnering with SeatGeek, we are able to make it possible for more people to enjoy the experiences they want by delivering flexible and transparent payment options at checkout.”
By choosing Affirm at checkout, fans buying tickets on SeatGeek can pick billing options that range from monthly installments to four interest-free, biweekly payments, the release stated.
SeatGeek Head of Consumer Product Paula Segal said in the release the company decided to work with Affirm after hearing from fans who want flexibility and ease when making purchases.
“The post-pandemic boom in online shopping brought a wave of innovations that resulted in a transformation of entire operations and left customers wanting more control over their purchases,” she said.
The partnership makes SeatGeek one of more than 200,000 merchant partners working with Affirm, which has almost 13 million active users, according to the release.
PYMNTS spoke last year with SeatGeek Director of Payment and Risk Operations Shawn Kelley about the rising demand for live events following the pandemic.
Read more: SeatGeek Says Payments Orchestration Plays Maestro To Live Event Business Comeback
“The emotional experience that you get from going to a live event — whether that’s a sporting event or a concert — it is something that can’t be replicated any other way,” Kelley said. “There have been tons of online concerts and different events that have tried to go online with some measure of success, but the piece that is missing is that emotional connection that you get with the experience and, more importantly, with the people you’re with.”
Last year, Swedish BNPL firm Klarna teamed with online ticket reseller Vivid Seats to offer ticket buyers the ability to make four interest-free installment payments on live concerts, sporting and entertainment events.
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