Helping More Customers Say Yes: A Customer-Centric Approach at Checkout

To develop focus on growth and customer centricity, retailers can map the consumer journey to understand every touchpoint across their brand experience. This approach can help pinpoint opportunities to improve and deliver a more seamless path to purchase.  

By grounding customer engagement strategies in consumer interactions, retailers observe that each moment of the transaction process can generate insights into consumer needs and expectations.[1] [2] [3] 

Lease-to-own (LTO) is an option that can expand access at checkout for consumers seeking alternatives to financing. In fact, a 2024 report indicates that 70% of consumers consider the availability of their preferred checkout method a significant factor in their shopping choices, demonstrating how checkout options influence store preference and purchase potential. [4] 

This article covers how a focus on customer centricity, with options such as LTO, can support retail performance by aligning with consumer priorities. 

In this article, “customer” and “consumer” both refer to anyone who shops with or purchases from a retail brand. 

Building Checkout Strength Through the Acima Leasing Option 

Cash and credit no longer reflect how people want to transact [4]. Many consumers now fall into non-prime or credit-invisible categories, and those consumers continue to influence retailer's checkout strategies. These consumers are looking for options that meet their needs. When an alternative to financing isn't available, checkout becomes a stopping point instead of a completed transaction for them [5]. 

Retailers that offer LTO through Acima can: 

• Capture walkaways: Acima helps retailers turn stalled checkouts into completed transactions, a benefit shown in case studies such as CITY Furniture’s success in converting walkaways into sales  
• Bolster revenue goals: Acima helps contribute to transaction activity and complements retailers’ broader revenue strategies by offering consumers a more inclusive checkout option 
• Enhance brand perception: Acima helps retailers strengthen how consumers view their brand by showing they value consumers’ preferred checkout method [6] 
• Equip store teams: Acima gives staff another way to help consumers who need alternatives to financing, reducing walkaways and generating cross-selling opportunities  

Adding LTO with Acima shows how checkout strategies can build consumer trust and set the stage for loyalty. 

Converting Trust into Customer Loyalty with Acima 

Customer loyalty reflects an ongoing positive relationship, proving that a retailer has earned and maintained consumer confidence [7]. That trust carries tangible business value through repeat purchases, greater consumer shopping power and recovered transactions. When Acima Leasing’s LTO option integrates with a retailer's existing customer engagement strategies, it strengthens that trust by making checkout access personalized and straightforward. 

Retailers that include Acima within their checkout flow have seen: 

• Confident shopping decisions: When consumers trust the retailer’s leasing option, they’re more comfortable choosing higher-quality products that last longer 
• Personalized LTO agreements: Acima’s lease renewal payment options align with each consumer's pay cycle, allowing lease renewal payments to fit their budgets  
• Broader consumer reach: Acima LTO widens the demographic of customers that the retailer can serve  

When consumers trust their checkout experience because of Acima, that trust builds loyalty and keeps transactions running smoothly from start to finish. 

Operationalizing LTO for Scalable Efficiency 

Acima supports a critical moment in the path to purchase, the point where intent often stalls due to transaction limitations. By offering an LTO option, Acima keeps the process moving and restores access for consumers who might otherwise leave before checking out. 

By integrating Acima into existing checkout systems, retailers can: 

• Streamline the application process: Quick steps let consumers apply and receive a lease decision within moments, keeping purchase momentum high 
• Reduce transaction friction: Acima minimizes barriers that can interrupt checkout, offering an alternative when credit limits or in-store financing denials slow conversion 
• Enable omnichannel use: Acima Leasing functions across in-store and online channels, allowing consumers to start and finish their LTO experience wherever they shop 
• Capture unmet demand: Retailers can serve consumers who might otherwise abandon their carts or leave the store, turning potential losses into opportunities for completed transactions 

Efficient checkout keeps the experience smooth for customers and dependable for retailers, enabling them to scale. 

Where Checkout Meets Access with Acima 

Integrating Acima into the broader customer engagement strategy aligns accessibility and efficiency, strengthening loyalty and long-term growth. In today’s market, where convenience and trust define brand preference, this connection helps retailers compete and scale with confidence. 

Connect with the Acima team today to learn how LTO can elevate your checkout experience. 

The content of this article is provided solely for general interest and should not be relied upon or construed as any form of advice, whether legal, financial, or otherwise. Receipt or use of this information does not create any sort of relationship between us.  

Sources: 

1. KAIZEN™. Retail success through customer-centricity 
2. McKinsey. True customer centricity: An operating model for competitive advantage 
3. Harvard Business Review. Touchpoints: Bring the customer experience to life 
4. PYMNTS. How choice, confidence, and convenience drive payments optimization 
5. Baymard Institute. Cart abandonment rate statistics 
6. PYMNTS. Global digital shopping and retail conversion study 
7. Zendesk. Customer loyalty in retail 
8. Retail Dive. Why growing retailers prioritize the checkout experience