Gone are the days when consumers only had the choice between cash or card when shopping. Over the past few years, Buy now pay later (BNPL) providers, like Zip, have well and truly captured the attention of Aussie consumers and the market continues to grow.

According to Zip, Australian consumers are increasingly turning to BNPL as the service allows them to purchase goods or services and pay for them in instalments over a period of time. Unlike traditional credit cards, purchases made with most BNPL providers are interest free.

According to Zip, consumers are continuing to turn their backs on more traditional payment options, in favour of interest free 'buy now, pay later' (BNPL) platforms.

Data sourced from YouGov indicates that motivations to use BNPL include spreading the purchase over time, allowing shoppers to purchase something they might not otherwise be able to afford, helping to budget as well as interest free repayments.

Zip explains that BNPL allows customers to make large purchases without having to pay the entire amount upfront, which can help with cash flow.

The YouGov report also reveals that approximately 25 per cent of Australians have used a BNPL service and Zip says the high uptake has a lot to do with the ease and convenience of using these services. Zip Pay customers can add their Zip card to Apple Pay or Google Pay to pay for anything, as long as the store accepts contactless payments.

Customers can choose from flexible weekly, fortnightly or monthly repayments, which are automatically direct debited from the payment method that was added in the initial sign up.

There is no denying the Buy now pay later (BNPL) industry has changed the payments landscape in Australia, allowing consumers to spend and budget in new and more convenient ways.

In addition to offering BNPL, Zip also offers business loans. To learn more about the products and review terms and conditions, contact Zip directly.

Cart.com, the first end-to-end ecommerce software and services provider, today announced the acquisition of DuMont Project, a Los Angeles-based full-service omnichannel growth marketing consultancy trusted by Fortune 50 companies, major apparel, beauty, and consumer electronics sellers, and some of the most iconic global direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands.

This strategic move builds on Cart.com's mission to deliver a fully owned and integrated suite of multichannel commerce solutions under a single umbrella, positioning it as the ideal choice for brands wanting to accelerate ecommerce growth. Cart.com chose DuMont for the consultancy's domain expertise, digital marketing executional experience, and proven record of guiding clients toward performance outcomes.

DuMont has driven growth for over 100 clients, from digitally native brands such as Casper, The Tile App, Hint Water, and Zillow, to omnichannel brands such as Guess, Brooks Brothers, DryBar and Vineyard Vines. With proven digital performance advertising expertise, DuMont has also spearheaded digital transformation efforts for CPG giants including Johnson & Johnson, Nestle, and Shiseido Company.

In the coming months, DuMont will integrate into Cart.com's existing organization while ensuring its clients continue to receive the same high level of services they have come to expect. DuMont's clients will also benefit from Cart.com's powerful technology solutions across the ecommerce value chain, including fulfillment services, marketing automation tools, and a robust ecommerce platform with multi-store, subscription, wholesale, and B2B capabilities out-of-the-box.

The unification of the two companies will support Cart.com's vision of a one-stop solution for growing ecommerce brands under the banner of Ecommerce 2.0. Rather than outdated hub-and-spoke models, which place founders under enormous pressure to manage disjointed third-party services, such ecommerce 2.0 offerings will support and scale with brands as they grow, empowering sellers to realize their potential and thrive to maturity without sacrificing their independence.

"Cart.com and DuMont share the belief that the integration of data, marketing acumen, and technology are critical to enabling brands to scale intelligently. We're committed to addressing the most complex problems high-growth companies face today with a fully integrated solution across the entire ecommerce value chain," said Omair Tariq, CEO and co-founder of Cart.com. "DuMont's experts have mastered the DTC ecommerce playbook, and we are thrilled to welcome this impressive group to our team."

"I am extremely proud of the work and client growth our team at DuMont Project has achieved over the last decade," said founder and President, Dawn Perdew. "We've seen firsthand the pain ecommerce brands experience trying to cobble together solutions that allow them to scale. We are excited to join the team at Cart.com to provide brands with powerful technology and hands-on experienced growth marketing to solve scaling issues and realize sustainable growth." Perdew joins the C-Suite at Cart.com as its Chief Customer Officer.

Cart.com is the first end-to-end ecommerce solutions provider delivering a fully integrated and owned suite of software, expert services, and infrastructure to enable the speed, sophistication, and scale needed by growing brands. Founded in September 2020 by experienced ecommerce experts, Cart.com is on a mission to put brands back in charge of their ecommerce journey and their customer relationships as the premiere ecommerce-as-a-Service (ECaaS) provider in the ecommerce services space. Cart.com offers a wealth of business solutions - including online store software, digital marketing and advertising services, fulfillment services, financial services, and customer service capabilities so brands of any size are able to work with a single partner to attain the same capabilities as some of the world's largest companies.

DuMont Project is a DTC growth marketing consultancy comprised of a highly trained and talented team of over 50 growth marketing experts who understand digital that is critical to the customer decision journey, with consumers empowered to choose where they will buy. Core services include: DTC/eCom staffing; integrated media planning and management (including paid search, SEO, shopping-comparison engines, paid social, affiliate, performance partnerships, and display); website conversion optimization-CRO; and data and analysis (including customer file, audience expansion, attribution, media mix modeling) leveraged holistically to drive improved outcomes and accelerate growth.

Media company's focus on customers leads to strong business results, with a year of transformation and growth at The Economist Group.

The Economist Group releases its 2021 Annual Report, showing strong business results in fiscal year 2020/21. The Group's renewed focus on its readers and clients continues to drive change in the organisation and lies at the heart of its multi-year investment programme for sustainable growth.

The year ended with an operating profit of £41.8m, up £8.9m or 27% on last year, exceeding expectations and putting The Economist Group in a strong position to pursue long-term profitable growth. The Economist saw record subscriber growth, which climbed by 90,0000 or 9% over fiscal-year 2020 to 1,122,000, the largest-ever increase in a single year. It also boosted trial conversions and one-year retention rates. The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) saw a notable 44% uplift in new business. Economist Events quickly pivoted to virtual platforms, holding a record 171 events, with 70,000 attendees and more than 300 sponsors.

The positive results reflect significant strides The Economist Group took last year towards transforming the business to meet customer needs and unlock future opportunities:

A suite of new products enriched the offering for consumer audiences. A new podcast, The Jab, analysed the global vaccine roll-out; digital newsletters, such as Simply Science and Off the Charts, expanded The Economist's footprint in areas of reader interest; interactive data journalism covered many unreported aspects of the pandemic and highly engaging forecasts of the US election; a subscriber-only content programme included a webinar series with editors and world leaders such as Bill Gates, Ursula Burns and Christine Lagarde to discuss critical global issues. A redesign of the economist.com homepage and upgrades to the Espresso app both enhanced the user experience.

Significant investment in digital technology included a new Future Customer Experience platform designed to transform and improve the subscriber experience, and increase engagement and retention.

The EIU launched "EIU Viewpoint", a digital product combining the EIU's expert political and economic insights with economic forecasts and proprietary data. The new B2B subscription platform helps businesses, academics, governments and financial institutions stay abreast of shifting global dynamics and plan for the future.

Economist Education, a new online executive-education offering, launched the first of a series of courses, written and delivered by journalists from The Economist and designed to equip business leaders with the insights and skills they need to steer their organisation.

"In this turbulent year our aim to provide trusted insight to our global audiences was never more important. Our results are a testament to our colleagues' resilience, agility and innovation. As we look to a future beyond the pandemic we have a clear opportunity: to build on the excellence of our content and the strength of our brands in the pursuit of progress for individuals, organisations and the world," said Lara Boro, Chief Executive, The Economist Group.

"The commitment to faster product and tech investment as well as intensive collaboration between the editorial and business sides of the Group will ensure a continued rapid improvement in our digital capabilities and mean that our subscribers can consume our journalism in a form and at a cadence that suits them for years to come," said Zanny Minton Beddoes, Editor-in-Chief, The Economist.

The foundation laid in the 2020/21 fiscal year prepares the business for further evolution in the coming months led by the Group's mission—to champion progress by helping people understand and tackle the critical challenges facing the world. Sustainability, health care and new trends in globalisation will be among the Group's core areas of focus.

The Annual Report also highlights the Group's own sustainability strategy, which weaves sustainability into the fabric of its operations. In addition to The Economist's cutting-edge climate coverage and the impact delivered to clients and partners through initiatives such as Back to Blue, The Economist Group announced its commitment to cutting its carbon emissions by at least 25% by 2025.

The Economist - With a growing global audience and a reputation for insightful analysis and perspective on every aspect of world events, The Economist is one of the most widely recognised and well-read current-affairs publications in the world. In addition to the weekly print and digital editions and website, The Economist publishes Espresso, a daily news app, and Global Business Review, a bilingual English-Chinese product. It produces The Intelligence, a daily current-affairs podcast, several other weekly podcasts and short- and long-form video. The Economist maintains robust social communities on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social networks.

About The Economist Group. The Economist Group is built on high-quality, in depth global analysis which runs through all of its businesses. With 25 offices in 14 countries and serving a global readership and client base, the Group produces digital and print products, convenes global events, and offers a range of subscription and other services for clients and consumers. Its flagship businesses include The Economist, and research and analysis division, The Economist Intelligence Unit.

Aduro®, a provider of corporate wellness solutions that drive Human Performance, today announced it has partnered with Chipotle Mexican Grill to launch Chipotle's new wellness experience called Strive built on Aduro's proprietary technology. The platform supports mental health goals among restaurant managers, field leaders, and restaurant support center employees.

"On Mental Health Action Day, we applaud Chipotle for their commitment to the mental health and holistic well-being of their people," said Renee Petrie, Aduro Chief Product Officer. "It's so important to eliminate stigma around mental health issues in the workplace. Leveraging this virtual space to reinforce mental health goals and provide easy access to resources, expert coaching, and interactive content is evidence of Chipotle's inclusive and authentic culture of well-being for all employees."

Chipotle's Strive is powered by Aduro's proprietary wellness platform, which delivers personalized well-being experiences focused on six interrelated aspects of life:

Mindset & Resilience, Purpose & Contribution, Lifestyle & Health, Relationships & Community, Development & Growth, Money & Prosperity

"Chipotle understands that it's in everyone's best interest to provide intentional mental health support at work and as part of a holistic approach to well-being," said Dr. Darren White, Aduro CEO. "I am grateful that Chipotle is announcing Strive during Mental Health Awareness Month because they are an influential voice and much-admired brand. Their leadership on this topic will only build on the current momentum for reimagining the role that companies can and should play in the well-being of their employees and how good partnerships ensure all stakeholders have their needs met."

Mental Health Awareness Month (May) was started by Mental Health America (MHA) in 1949 to increase awareness and understanding of mental health issues. Mental Health Action Day (Thursday, May 20, 2021) was created earlier this year by a coalition of nonprofits, leading brands, and cultural leaders to provide tools that help people turn awareness into action in their own communities.

About Aduro

Aduro is a leading provider of corporate wellness solutions that drive Human Performance — existing at the intersection of well-being and performance. We unlock human potential in the workplace by providing expert coaching, interactive content, meaningful incentives, and personalized insights in a fun, inspiring way. This ignites cultures, creates inclusivity and builds social connections that promote growth and flourishing for all people. When people flourish, organizations thrive.

For several years, Aduro has been named to the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in America and 2021 6th Most Equitable Workplaces in Washington state by the Puget Sound Business Journal. In addition, the Aduro Human Performance Training Program is accredited by the National Board for Health & Wellness Coaching (NBHWC) and the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA.) Aduro is here to help you Find Your Fire.

About Chipotle

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. is cultivating a better world by serving responsibly sourced, classically-cooked, real food with wholesome ingredients without artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. Chipotle had over 2,800 restaurants as of March 31, 2021, in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Germany and is the only restaurant company of its size that owns and operates all its restaurants. With over 97,000 employees passionate about providing a great guest experience, Chipotle is a longtime leader and innovator in the food industry. Chipotle is committed to making its food more accessible to everyone while continuing to be a brand with a demonstrated purpose as it leads the way in digital, technology and sustainable business practices. Steve Ells, founder and former executive chairman, first opened Chipotle with a single restaurant in Denver, Colorado in 1993.