Deep DiveUS Consumer Credit and BNPL: Capturing the Aging Opportunity John Mercer, Head of Global Research and Managing Director of Retail Research October 28, 2026 Reasons to ReadDiscover how shifting consumer-debt patterns are creating new growth opportunities for buy now, pay later (BNPL) providers and retailers. Read this report to discover answers to these and other questions: Why is US consumer debt increasingly concentrated among certain age groups and how does that compare to BNPL usage? How does BNPL adoption, usage growth and purchasing behavior differ by household income? How fast is BNPL growing and how large could the market become? Do recent consumer-credit delinquency trends point to a meaningful deterioration in borrower health? Companies mentioned in this report include: Affirm, Afterpay/Block, Klarna, PayPal, Sezzle, Zip, Shopify, Costco, Mattress Firm, Ace Hardware, Lowe’s and Ulta Beauty. Data in this report include: consumer debt growth and balances by age and credit type; student loan balances and borrower trends; BNPL usage by age and income; BNPL usage motivations, spending categories and providers; consumer-credit market size and growth; BNPL revenue forecasts and credit issuance; and serious-delinquency trends by age and credit type. Already a member? Log in You are currently viewing a preview of this report. Please select an access option to view the full report. Hide Options - Show Options + Get unlimited access to all our research with one of our membership plans. View Membership Plans or Contact us to purchase this report. Contact us ✕ This document was generated for