Arvato
AfterPay is what it says; a first pay later service, with its largest markets in the Netherlands and Germany. When using AfterPay Flex, customers don’t have to pay all at once but can set up payment in installment over time. inUse, with its devoted design team, has helped AfterPay to develop a safe, transparent, and convenient way to pay.
The Challenge
One of the most important parts of financial service is to keep it transparent, safe, and convenient. The design team at inUse had to aim really high, and design for a customer to feel totally in control. The first market to enter was Germany, and it has been a struggle to get a grip on German financial rules, traditions, and genuine culture when it comes to payment. The scope has been tremendously broad, covering all from consumer behavior, information design, technical infrastructure, regulations, and ethical perspectives.
The Approach
We have been working with AfterPay, and its owner Arvato, for a long time. To work efficiently the team at inUse consists of the core competencies; UX design, visual design, and front-end development. The team is “the Design Team”, working tight with the customer to conceptualize, prototype, usability test and finally delivering code and the full experience of the service. The key to success has been to work-integrated and broad, avoid silos, and making sure that all competencies contribute from start. As a key stakeholder at AfterPay puts it: “The team is high functioning and produces rapid results, with quality.".
The Result
AfterPay Flex was launched in Germany in July 2019. Though part payment has existed for a long time in this country, the possibility to pay partially for several items was completely new. The response and acceptance have been beyond expectations. In a market, traditionally not used to installments and with a high demand for structure and clarity, it is remarkable how the service has been received and welcomed. In turn, this results in a feedback loop helping the design team to improve the service further, finetune, and prepare for new markets.
