The shopping trend is revealed by Klarna as it announces a raft of new partnerships with leading home improvement retailers Wilkos and Wickes, as well as interiors and home devices brand, SharkNinja.

Klarna’s expansion in the home improvements sector comes amidst a boom in purchases of household items made using their service. In the last year, sales via Klarna of air conditioning units increased by 1657% - the biggest increase recorded - reflecting that 2022 was one of the warmest years on record in the UK. Alongside this, air fryers increased by 499%, humidifiers by 555%, heat pumps by 252%, freezers by 937%, and showers by 129%.

UK consumers also took to their gardens last year with a huge year on year increase in Klarna sales for gardening items - including leaf blowers (+353%), lawn mowers (+336%), decking (+310%), and shears (+156%).

This rise in sales highlights the growing appetite amongst UK consumers for greater flexibility over their payment options, particularly when buying more expensive household items. Using Klarna, consumers have the flexibility to choose to either pay immediately in full or split their payments across three interest-free installments. All payments are then tracked in the app, including delivery tracking - giving shoppers more control of the spending and enabling smarter shopping decisions.

Alex Naughton, Head of Klarna UK, Ireland and the Netherlands said: “This boom in household and gardening items bought using Klarna shows that consumers want a smoother payment experience, whether they are paying in full or over time.

“Using interest free alternatives to make big one-off payments, for items like a shower, lawn mower or freezer, enables consumers to pay over time but avoid rip-off fees.

“We’re delighted to be expanding further into the home improvements sector by partnering with these popular household brands, offering families and individuals across the UK the chance to build the home they want in the smoothest way possible.”