The Impact of Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) on Consumer Behavior among Youth in Russia
Anton Povalii
09/09/2026
Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) services allow consumers to receive goods immediately while dividing payment into smaller installments. Although BNPL is often presented as a convenient payment option, concerns have emerged about its effects on spending behavior and financial discipline, particularly among young consumers with limited financial experience. This exploratory study examines the relationship between BNPL use and consumer behavior among young people in Russia, focusing on impulse purchasing, perceived affordability, budgeting discipline, and financial stress. It combines an international literature review, an analysis of Russia’s emerging and newly regulated BNPL market, and an online survey of 150 respondents aged 14–25. Awareness of BNPL was high: 99% of respondents were familiar with the service, while 15% had used it. Among BNPL users, more than 60% reported making unplanned purchases at least sometimes, 80% agreed that BNPL encouraged them to select more expensive products, and 47% had forgotten a future payment at least once. Only 22% of the full sample owned a credit card, suggesting that BNPL may play a credit-like role for some young consumers. The findings indicate that BNPL can provide payment flexibility while reducing the perceived importance of the total purchase cost and creating challenges for financial planning. Because BNPL adoption in Russia remains limited, clearer disclosures, stronger payment reminders, financial literacy initiatives, and tools showing total outstanding obligations could help mitigate consumer risks. The results should be interpreted as exploratory because the subgroup of BNPL users was small.