Zip, the ASX-listed buy now, pay later lender, published a Zip BNPL survey on 2 November 2026 finding that 83% of US BNPL users with a preferred provider would be likely to abandon a purchase if that provider were missing at checkout, according to the company’s release. The release’s small print still names WebBank as the only originator of Zip loans, although Zip added Column N.A. as a second US bank partner for its installment loans on 21 October, as Fintechbits reported. The survey covered 1,015 US adults polled between 17 and 19 October 2026.

What the Zip BNPL Survey Found

The headline figure in the Zip BNPL survey applies to shoppers who have a preferred provider, and the release does not say how many of the 1,015 respondents that is. Among that group, 46% say they have already abandoned a purchase in the past 12 months because their provider was unavailable. Of those, 39% went on to buy from a different retailer, and 75% of abandoned carts with a reported value were worth $100 or more.

Other findings: 65% of shoppers with a preferred provider say it is extremely or very important that a retailer offers it, and 59% say they have chosen one retailer over another for that reason. Across all respondents, 73% consider BNPL before reaching checkout and 62% have used it for a purchase they would otherwise have postponed or skipped.

Rory Herriman, president and interim chief executive of Zip US, said: “Payment choice isn’t just a checkout feature, it shapes where consumers choose to shop.”

A Survey Built for a Sales Meeting

The research comes with three recommendations for merchants: show BNPL early, make preferred providers visible and keep checkout simple. That is a sales deck. Zip needs merchants to add its button, and a number like 83% is the argument it will take into those meetings ahead of the November and December shopping peak.

That does not make the Zip BNPL survey wrong, but it frames it. “Likely to abandon” measures stated intent, which runs well ahead of behaviour, and a three-day online panel cannot show how often shoppers simply pay by card when their favourite option is missing. The 46% who say they have abandoned a purchase is the more useful number, because it describes something that happened.

Fintechbits analysis

Why the Zip BNPL Survey Matters Less Than Zip’s Bank Partners

The more telling detail sits in the boilerplate. The Zip BNPL survey release still names WebBank as the originator of Zip loans. On 21 October Zip announced Column N.A. as a second US bank partner, a move that gives it funding redundancy and negotiating power. A footer that lags that change is a small thing, but it suggests marketing and the lending team are running on separate tracks.

Zip’s run of merchant news in October is the context for the survey. Fintechbits covered its expansion into Best Buy stores, where in-store volume was climbing, and a car rental deal with Alternative Airlines. Each new checkout placement makes the abandonment argument easier to sell. The research is the pitch; the bank partners are what make the volume possible.

For merchants weighing the Zip BNPL survey, the sensible reading is that BNPL users are loyal to a provider and that missing the one they use costs some sales on larger baskets. How many is a question for a merchant’s own checkout data, not a vendor survey.

Frequently asked questions

What did the Zip BNPL survey find?

Zip’s survey of 1,015 US BNPL users found that 83% of those with a preferred provider would likely abandon a purchase if it were unavailable, and 46% said they had done so in the past 12 months. It was fielded online between 17 and 19 October 2026.

Who originates Zip’s loans in the US?

The release names WebBank as the originator of loans through Zip. Zip announced Column N.A. as a second US bank partner for its installment loans on 21 October 2026.

Were respondents all Zip customers?

No. Zip says respondents had used at least one BNPL service in the previous 12 months, across various providers, and were not limited to Zip customers.

What to Watch Next

Zip’s next quarterly update to the ASX should show whether merchant additions such as Best Buy are lifting US transaction volume and how much of that volume is booked with Column N.A. rather than WebBank. That split, more than any Zip BNPL survey percentage, will show whether the second bank partner was a backup or a change in how Zip funds US growth.