Ozow has announced a new partnership with Happy Pay that will enable its merchants to offer buy-now, pay-later (BNPL) at checkout, without requiring any additional integration.
South Africa’s BNPL market was projected to grow to over $815-milliomn (approximately R15-billion) in 2025, driven by strong e-commerce growth and changing consumer preferences. By the end of 2030, the BNPL sector is projected to expand to approximately $1,3-billion.
Globally, the trend is even more pronounced. The BNPL market was expected to exceed $560-billionn in transaction value in 2025, as consumers increasingly seek alternatives to traditional credit.
For merchants, BNPL has consistently been linked to higher conversion rates, increased basket sizes, and improved customer acquisition, particularly among younger, digitally native consumers.
Research also shows that flexible payment options are becoming a preferred alternative to traditional credit, with an estimated 60% of South African consumers favouring flexible payment methods such as BNPL.
“Merchants are looking for practical ways to improve performance at checkout without adding complexity,” says Lyle Eckstein, co-founder and chief product officer at Ozow.
“This partnership enables exactly that, giving merchants access to a proven payment method that can drive conversion and unlock new customer segments, while remaining fully aligned with Ozow’s single integration approach.”
Through the integration, Ozow merchants can offer customers the ability to split purchases into interest-free instalments within the existing payment flow by choosing BNPL at checkout, while merchants receive the full settlement amount weekly.
A key differentiator of the Ozow–Happy Pay partnership is its ease of implementation. Ozow merchants can enable BNPL without any additional technical integration, allowing for immediate deployment. They can also enable enhancements like widgets that drive better conversion.
Beyond payments, the partnership also introduces Happy Pay’s “Happy Ads” platform. Qualifying merchants can benefit from increased exposure through personalized product-level campaigns, supporting customer acquisition and repeat engagement.
Wesley Billett, CEO of Happy Pay, says the partnership reflects a shared focus on delivering meaningful value. “BNPL is no longer a niche payment method. It is becoming a standard expectation at checkout. By partnering with Ozow, we are able to extend this capability to a broader merchant base, while maintaining a seamless and responsible customer experience,” he says.