This landmark deal will enable marketers to maintain higher conversion rates.
Klarna’s flexible payment options will soon be supported across AI agent-driven shopping experiences marking a significant shift in the world of agentic commerce.
Klarna will utilise Stripe’s shared payment tokens (SPTs) to offer its interest-free payment options to consumers, with more integrations planned for the future.
This new announcement from Klarna aims to revamp how AI shopping agents are used by consumers. Due to be made available to US merchants that already offer Klarna through Stripe, shoppers will gain access to a wider array of payment options at checkout.
In agentic commerce, consumers are able to provide AI agents with tasks and information to source particular products.
Previously, such AI shopping agents have been reliant on card-on-payments by design, reducing the availability of alternative payment options such as Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL). As a result, the ability to automate checkout flows has been hindered somewhat, leaving consumers with considerably less choice and flexibility.
David Sykes, chief commercial officer at Klarna, said: “The infrastructure being built for agentic commerce will define online checkout for the next decade.
“As AI agents begin purchasing on consumers’ behalf, it’s critical that flexible payment options remain available. By supporting Stripe’s shared payment tokens, we’re ensuring Klarna is embedded in this next generation of checkout experiences from day one.”
A wider range of payment options
Stripe’s SPTs are, by design, built specifically for agentic commerce by enabling AI shoppers to initiate requested purchases without seeing the consumer’s actual payment details.
“Our shared payment tokens will soon support Klarna, enabling AI agents to offer buy now, pay later payment options to buyers at checkout,” added Kevin Miller, head of payments at Stripe.
“By bringing Klarna to agentic transactions, we are helping businesses lift conversion while giving buyers more flexibility and control in how they pay.”
What this means for marketers
In recent years, there’s been an uptick in the number of customers opting to shop via AI agents. Not only does it increase the speed of the purchase, but can also help facilitate a more curated, personalised shopping experience.
So as more consumers tap into the world of AI for shopping, many traditional agents had expressed concern that conversion rates could drop if customers were limited to just the traditional credit or debit card payment methods.
The integration of methods such as Klarna’s BNPL model into automated flows will mean that marketers can maintain higher conversion rates and continue to meet the evolving needs of shoppers.
But as well as benefits for conversion, this landmark partnership between two of the biggest names in the e-commerce sector will also bring with it an additional security benefit.
Traditionally, many consumers have erred on the side of caution when it comes to utilising AI assistants, largely due to privacy and security concerns.
However, under this new partnership, AI agents will have the ability to execute Klarna transactions without seeing the customer’s actual payment details, while merchants will be able to rest easy knowing that privacy and security are a top priority.
From a brand perspective, one of the biggest fears in AI commerce is the loss of the direct consumer-to-brand relationship, something that is largely due to a limited availability of flexible payment methods.
But by ensuring that a consumer’s preferred payment method is available via the AI agent, retailers can provide a consistent, branded financial experience that reinforces customer loyalty even when the customer isn’t manually clicking ‘checkout’.
