B2B BNPL Case Study: 88% Top Buyer GMV in Under 2 Months
Key Takeaways
- A European B2B marketplace replaced its BNPL provider in under two months, achieving 88% GMV coverage across its top 100 buyers and financing €5.3M in the first quarter.
- Deferred payment captures over 50% of total business volume on the platform, making B2B BNPL a baseline buyer expectation rather than an optional checkout feature.
- The integration supports multi-seller checkout flows across six European countries with instant credit scoring, SEPA Direct Debit collection, and daily seller settlement through existing Stripe Connect infrastructure.
- Aria’s credit model scored 30,000+ active buyers across France, Germany, the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Spain from day one without requiring a rebuild of the platform’s payment architecture.
At a glance
| Metric | Detail |
|---|---|
| Industry | B2B wholesale marketplace |
| Coverage | 6 European countries |
| Monthly financed volume | €15M+ eligible |
| Payment terms | Net 30, Net 60, Net 90 |
| GMV coverage | 88% of top 100 buyers |
| Time to go live | < 2 months |
The client
A leading European B2B wholesale marketplace connecting thousands of independent brands with retailers across six countries. With a dominant position in France, Germany, the UK, and Benelux — within a $2.2 trillion European B2B e-commerce market — the platform processes tens of millions in monthly gross merchandise volume — and deferred payment has become a core part of its value proposition.
For buyers, the ability to pay later is no longer a nice-to-have. It’s a baseline expectation. On this platform, BNPL now captures over 50% of total business volume. The challenge isnʼt adoption. Itʼs conversion: making sure every eligible buyer can complete their order with the payment terms they expect.
The challenge
The platformʼs previous BNPL provider announced it would discontinue service, leaving only weeks to find a replacement. The stakes were high:
Half the platformʼs GMV was at risk
With deferred payment representing 50% of total volume, any disruption to the checkout experience would directly hit the bottom line — for the marketplace, and for the thousands of sellers relying on it.
Acceptance rates were falling short
The previous provider struggled to approve the transactions that mattered most — large baskets from new buyers. Every rejection was a lost sale — BNPL drives a 20–30% increase in checkout conversion — and a degraded experience for the buyer.
Multi-country complexity
The platform operates across France, Germany, the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Spain. Any replacement needed to score buyers across all these markets from day one, with local payment method support — SEPA in continental Europe, card payments in the UK.
Technical integration constraints
The platform runs on Stripe Connect with a complex multi-seller checkout flow. A single buyer order can span multiple sellers, each generating separate invoices. The financing solution needed to handle this seamlessly, without disrupting existing payment infrastructure or increasing latency.
The selection process
The platform ran a comprehensive RFP across all major European B2B BNPL providers, evaluating candidates on ten dimensions: geographic coverage, credit model, product capabilities, operations, legal compliance, pricing, financial stability, client references, implementation timeline, and technical architecture.
The platform identified two dimensions that mattered most: speed and coverage.
Proven coverage where it counts
During the RFP, Aria scored the platformʼs entire buyer portfolio and demonstrated 88% GMV coverage on the top 100 buyers — the accounts that generate the most revenue for sellers. Across all six markets and 30,000+ active buyers, Ariaʼs credit model delivered broad eligibility without compromising on risk.
Ready to go live in weeks, not months
With the previous providerʼs shutdown deadline looming, execution speed was the deciding factor. Aria committed to an aggressive implementation timeline and delivered — going live in under two months, well ahead of the deadline. Sellers and buyers experienced zero gap in service.
Three additional factors made the partnership work
A collaborative approach to risk
Rather than applying a one-size-fits-all credit policy, Aria worked hand-in-hand with the platformʼs team to co-define a risk policy tailored to their buyer portfolio — not a black box imposed from the outside.
Technical SLAs that matched the platformʼs standards
The platform needed deferred payment transactions to process at the same latency as any other payment method. Aria committed to contractual SLAs on scoring, payment capture, and API response times — and delivered dedicated infrastructure segmented at the client level.
Co-designed integration
The platformʼs engineers worked alongside Ariaʼs team from day one, preserving their existing Stripe Connect architecture without a rebuild. From multi-seller invoice splitting to batch settlement flows, every technical choice was co-designed to suit the platformʼs environment.
The integration
Ariaʼs API-first approach meant the financing layer slotted into the platformʼs existing checkout without any visible change for buyers. Key elements included:
Checkout and decisioning flow
- Instant credit scoring — buyers are scored from registration number alone, with deferred payment options appearing automatically at checkout when eligible
- Multi-seller checkout support — a single buyer payment is split and financed across multiple seller invoices automatically
- Flexible payment terms — Net 30, Net 60, and Net 90 options embedded directly in the checkout flow
Collections and settlement
- SEPA Direct Debit collection — automated buyer repayment with no manual intervention
- Daily settlement — sellers receive funds the day after delivery confirmation, dramatically improving their cash flow — vital given thousands of European SMEs go bankrupt annually from late payments
The entire integration went live in under two months — well ahead of the previous providerʼs shutdown deadline.
The results
Since going live, the platform has achieved higher acceptance, no disruption, and room to grow.
Portfolio and GMV coverage
88% GMV coverage across the platformʼs top 100 buyers — the transactions that matter most. The scoring model handles the full spectrum of B2B transaction sizes, including the larger orders that drive the most revenue for sellers.
Ramp and financed volume
€5.3M financed in the first three months of operations, with volume ramping month over month as the platform progressively rolled out across its buyer base.
Buyer experience continuity
Zero disruption to the buyer experience. The switch was invisible to buyers. Buyers continued to see the same deferred payment options at checkout without any change to their flow.
Day-one geographic launch
Multi-country coverage from day one. All six markets were live at launch, with local payment methods and currency support built in.
Whatʼs next
With the core marketplace BNPL flow secured, the partnership expands into new areas. The platform is exploring additional verticals and off-marketplace use cases where Ariaʼs flexible financing infrastructure can unlock new revenue streams. Embedded B2B payments are a strategic lever, not just a checkout feature.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to implement a B2B BNPL solution on a marketplace?
This European marketplace went live with Aria in under two months, replacing their previous provider without disrupting buyer or seller operations. In general it can take between 2 weeks to a few months depending on the complexity of your setup.
What GMV coverage can B2B marketplaces expect from BNPL providers?
Aria delivered 88% GMV coverage across the platform’s top 100 buyers, scoring 30,000+ active buyers across six European markets from day one. The exact figures depend on the quality of your buyer portfolio but Aria offers industry-leading coverage.
Which payment methods work for B2B BNPL in Europe?
Aria gets repaid through Sepa Direct Debit, however the platform could also have chosen to repay using wire transfers. All the payment infrastructure is integrated through Stripe Connect.
How quickly do sellers receive payment with B2B BNPL?
Sellers receive funds the day after delivery confirmation, while buyers pay on Net 30, Net 60, or Net 90 terms.
What share of B2B marketplace volume uses deferred payment?
Deferred payment now represents over 50% of total business volume on this platform, making it a baseline buyer expectation rather than an optional feature.
How much volume did Aria finance in the first quarter?
Aria financed €5.3M in the first three months after launch, with volume ramping month over month as rollout expanded across the buyer base.
