Summary: From Cart to Confidence - A Product-Led Approach to BNPL Growth at Flipkart

This product case study focuses on improving checkout conversion, reducing cart abandonment, and increasing Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) adoption among newly onboarded users on Flipkart. Despite BNPL’s growing popularity, many users drop off at checkout due to fear, friction, and lack of trust -especially during impulse or budget-sensitive purchases.

To understand this behavior, the study applies Jobs-to-be-Done (JTBD) and First-Principles Thinking to uncover the real motivations and barriers behind BNPL hesitation.

Two key user contexts emerged. First, users buying gifts for festivals or family occasions want to make meaningful purchases without disrupting their monthly budgets. Second, users exposed to influencer-driven content often feel strong impulse to buy immediately but lack ready cash at that moment. In both cases, users value flexibility—but only if the experience feels fast, safe, and transparent.

The first-principles analysis revealed major adoption blockers: users perceive BNPL as a risky credit product, expect long setup processes, assume it’s meant only for high-value purchases, fear hidden charges or credit score impact, and worry about forgetting payment deadlines. These concerns intensify at checkout, where speed and clarity matter most.

To validate these insights, the assignment analyzed 1–3 star Flipkart reviews related to checkout and payments. Common issues included unexplained BNPL rejections, unclear fees and EMI calculations, delayed refunds, lack of real-time support during payment failures, and overall mistrust due to past delivery or refund issues. These experiences reinforce user hesitation at the most critical moment-the point of purchase.

Based on this research, the proposed solution is a 1-tap BNPL option embedded directly into the checkout flow. The concept emphasizes:

Zero extra cost messaging (“What you see is what you pay”)

Eligibility for small, everyday purchases, not just expensive items

No long forms or setup delays

Clear reassurance that BNPL is not a loan and does not harm credit scores

A simple post-purchase dashboard to track dues, receive reminders, or delay payments without penalties

The core product insight is that BNPL adoption is a trust problem, not a feature problem. By removing fear, reducing friction, and making BNPL feel predictable and judgment-free, Flipkart can convert high-intent moments, especially impulse and gifting purchases, into completed checkouts.

Overall, the case study demonstrates how product-led clarity, transparency, and emotional reassurance at checkout can turn hesitation into confidence, driving higher BNPL usage and improved conversion without aggressive incentives.