{
 "dataset": "Holiday payment-plan shopper survey, United States, fielded 2026-08-21 to 2026-08-22",
 "method_facts": {
  "sample": "2,038 unique US adults recruited on the Prolific research panel; every respondent paid; duplicate participants removed (first submission kept)",
  "mode": "self-administered web survey; instrument frozen and content-identical from wave 2 onward (see instrument_versions)",
  "populations": {
   "all_respondents": 2038,
   "past_rto_lto_users_answering_satisfaction": 949,
   "ftc_comparable_customers": "storefront rent-to-own experience within the last 5 years (n=373)",
   "holiday_payment_plan_planners": 476,
   "bnpl_only_planners": 375,
   "rto_or_lease_involved_planners": 101
  },
  "question_context": {
   "satisfaction": "asked word-for-word from the FTC 2000 national rent-to-own survey (question RO-11), 5-point scale, of everyone reporting any rent-to-own or lease-to-own history",
   "categories_items": "planners chose the product category they were most likely to get on a payment plan, then the specific item",
   "weekly_budget": "rent-to-own and lease shoppers chose an expected weekly payment band",
   "item_budget": "BNPL shoppers chose an expected total item cost band",
   "channel": "lease-involved planners chose between a rental storefront and a lease-at-checkout option",
   "brands": "planners selected brands considered and one first choice from a fixed list",
   "yoy": "holiday shoppers compared expected spend to last year",
   "trust_discovery_ai": "all respondents named their primary trust factor, discovery channels (multi-select), and primary AI shopping assistant if any",
   "income": "planners reported household income band"
  },
  "benchmarks": {
   "ftc_2000": "US FTC national survey of rent-to-own customers, 2000: 75.0% satisfied, n=532 customers from 12,136 screened households"
  },
  "sampling_disclosure": "Standard Prolific US sample (age 18+, US residents), not the census-matched \"representative sample\" product. Results describe survey respondents; treat population-level generalization with care. SRS-equivalent margin of error approx: full sample 2.2 pts, 476 planners 4.5 pts, 101 RTO/lease group 9.8 pts (95% level, worst case).",
  "instrument_versions": "Wave 1 (validation, n=102 released rows) ran on the pre-freeze instrument, which did NOT yet include the year-over-year spend item; that item was added before wave 2. From wave 2 onward the instrument was frozen and content-identical (v9/v10). All other items are common to every wave. Year-over-year base = 1,669 holiday shoppers in waves 2-3 only.",
  "fielding_dates": "responses recorded 2026-08-22 08:58 to 23:39 UTC (August 21-22 US local time); the pre-freeze 50-person test wave is excluded entirely",
  "dispositions": {
   "note": "Prolific submission dispositions per wave; every completed submission was approved and paid, zero rejections",
   "wave1_validation": {
    "places": 100,
    "approved": "all completions approved",
    "released_rows": 102
   },
   "wave2": {
    "places": 200,
    "stopped_early_at": 160,
    "approved": 163,
    "timed_out": 3,
    "released_rows": 159
   },
   "phase3": {
    "places": 1800,
    "approved": 1840,
    "returned": 12,
    "timed_out": 10,
    "released_rows": 1777
   },
   "released_rows_note": "released rows differ from approvals because rows are deduplicated across waves (first submission per person) and returned/timed-out submissions have no completed response"
  },
  "uncertainty": "This is a paid opt-in Prolific panel, not a probability sample; per AAPOR guidance, conventional margins of sampling error do not strictly apply. The +/-2.2 (n=2,038) and +/-4.5 (n=476) figures are the simple-random-sample equivalents, shown for scale only.",
  "anonymization": "participant identifiers replaced with sequential anon_id; long open-comment fields and the broadest open item fields excluded; three short respondent-typed item-description fields (clothing item, gaming/TV secondary items) retained after automated and manual disclosure review (no emails, phone numbers, addresses, or personal names found)",
  "instrument_logic_notes": "\"Not sure yet\" in the payment multi-select was not configured as exclusive; 21 of 1,758 holiday shoppers selected it alongside a definite method. Segment label precision: \"BNPL\" here means BNPL selected and RTO/LTO not selected (other methods like cash or cards may also be selected); \"RTO/LTO-involved\" means the RTO/LTO option was selected, with or without BNPL. Full questionnaire text, screen order, and display logic available to qualified reviewers on request."
 },
 "qualification_questions_verbatim": {
  "holiday_gate": {
   "question": "Do you plan to buy gifts or other items for the winter holidays this year (Christmas, Hanukkah, or other December holidays)?",
   "options": [
    "Yes",
    "No",
    "Not sure yet"
   ],
   "rule": "Only 'Yes' continued to the payment question."
  },
  "payment_methods": {
   "question": "How do you expect to pay for your holiday shopping this year? Select all that apply.",
   "options": [
    "Cash or debit card",
    "Credit card I will pay off right away",
    "Credit card I will pay off over time",
    "A buy-now-pay-later plan (like Klarna, Afterpay, Affirm, Zip, or PayPal Pay in 4)",
    "Rent-to-own or lease-to-own, a weekly or monthly payment plan where you can own the item (like Acima, Progressive Leasing, Katapult, Rent-A-Center, or Aaron's)",
    "Layaway",
    "A personal loan",
    "Not sure yet"
   ],
   "rule": "A respondent counts as a payment-plan planner if they selected the buy-now-pay-later option or the rent-to-own/lease-to-own option (or both). BNPL-only = BNPL selected without the rent-to-own option; RTO/lease-involved = rent-to-own option selected, with or without BNPL."
  }
 },
 "ai_assistant_usage_by_segment": {
  "context": "share answering the AI-assistant question with a named assistant rather than the none option",
  "all_respondents": {
   "named": 1509,
   "base": 2038,
   "pct": 74.0
  },
  "payment_plan_planners": {
   "named": 408,
   "base": 476,
   "pct": 85.7
  },
  "bnpl_only": {
   "named": 315,
   "base": 375,
   "pct": 84.0
  },
  "rto_lease_involved": {
   "named": 93,
   "base": 101,
   "pct": 92.1
  },
  "non_planners": {
   "named": 1101,
   "base": 1562,
   "pct": 70.5
  }
 },
 "satisfaction": {
  "broad": {
   "n": 949,
   "top2": 666,
   "pct": 70.2,
   "dist": {
    "Somewhat satisfied": 458,
    "Somewhat dissatisfied": 128,
    "Very satisfied": 208,
    "Very dissatisfied": 27,
    "Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied": 128
   }
  },
  "ftc_comparable": {
   "n": 373,
   "top2": 304,
   "pct": 81.5,
   "dist": {
    "Somewhat satisfied": 191,
    "Very dissatisfied": 6,
    "Very satisfied": 113,
    "Somewhat dissatisfied": 33,
    "Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied": 30
   }
  },
  "future_use": {
   "n": 949,
   "likely": 562,
   "pct": 59.2
  },
  "ever_use": {
   "n": 2038,
   "used": 949,
   "pct": 46.6
  }
 },
 "planner_cuts": {
  "all": {
   "n": 476,
   "categories": [
    {
     "cat": "Gaming consoles, gaming PCs, or video games",
     "n": 118,
     "pct": 24.8
    },
    {
     "cat": "TVs or home electronics",
     "n": 99,
     "pct": 20.8
    },
    {
     "cat": "Phones, tablets, or computers",
     "n": 72,
     "pct": 15.1
    },
    {
     "cat": "Furniture",
     "n": 44,
     "pct": 9.2
    },
    {
     "cat": "Appliances",
     "n": 39,
     "pct": 8.2
    },
    {
     "cat": "Clothing or shoes",
     "n": 32,
     "pct": 6.7
    },
    {
     "cat": "Jewelry or watches",
     "n": 24,
     "pct": 5.0
    },
    {
     "cat": "Toys",
     "n": 23,
     "pct": 4.8
    },
    {
     "cat": "Other",
     "n": 9,
     "pct": 1.9
    },
    {
     "cat": "Tires or wheels",
     "n": 8,
     "pct": 1.7
    },
    {
     "cat": "Tools or outdoor equipment",
     "n": 6,
     "pct": 1.3
    },
    {
     "cat": "Sheds or outdoor storage buildings",
     "n": 2,
     "pct": 0.4
    }
   ],
   "items": {
    "Gaming consoles, gaming PCs, or video games": [
     {
      "item": "PlayStation 5",
      "n": 39
     },
     {
      "item": "Nintendo Switch or Switch 2",
      "n": 24
     },
     {
      "item": "Gaming PC (desktop)",
      "n": 19
     },
     {
      "item": "Xbox Series X|S",
      "n": 12
     },
     {
      "item": "Games or accessories only (no new console)",
      "n": 12
     },
     {
      "item": "Gaming laptop",
      "n": 7
     },
     {
      "item": "Not sure yet",
      "n": 3
     },
     {
      "item": "Gaming PC or laptop",
      "n": 2
     }
    ],
    "Furniture": [
     {
      "item": "Sofa or couch",
      "n": 15
     },
     {
      "item": "Full living-room set",
      "n": 8
     },
     {
      "item": "Bedroom set",
      "n": 7
     },
     {
      "item": "Sectional",
      "n": 6
     },
     {
      "item": "Recliner or lift chair",
      "n": 4
     },
     {
      "item": "Mattress or bed frame",
      "n": 2
     },
     {
      "item": "Dining set or table",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "Not sure yet",
      "n": 1
     }
    ],
    "TVs or home electronics": [
     {
      "item": "58\"-65\"",
      "n": 31
     },
     {
      "item": "43\"-55\"",
      "n": 30
     },
     {
      "item": "70\" or larger",
      "n": 22
     },
     {
      "item": "Sound bar or home theater system",
      "n": 5
     },
     {
      "item": "Other home electronics (not a TV)",
      "n": 5
     },
     {
      "item": "Not sure yet",
      "n": 4
     },
     {
      "item": "Under 43\"",
      "n": 2
     }
    ],
    "Clothing or shoes": [
     {
      "item": "shoes",
      "n": 2
     },
     {
      "item": "designer shoes and bag",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "Louis Vuitton Purse",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "New purse",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "Running shoes",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "Shoes",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "basketball shoes",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "a pair of designer shoes as a gift for my girlfriend",
      "n": 1
     }
    ],
    "Other": [
     {
      "item": "art",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "I have no clue yet",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "art supplies",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "Musical Instrument",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "drum set",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "Porch goose",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "bullion",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "some type of plushie my daughter wants.",
      "n": 1
     }
    ],
    "Appliances": [
     {
      "item": "Washer and dryer set",
      "n": 10
     },
     {
      "item": "Small appliance (microwave, air fryer, etc.)",
      "n": 9
     },
     {
      "item": "Refrigerator",
      "n": 6
     },
     {
      "item": "Washer",
      "n": 4
     },
     {
      "item": "Dishwasher",
      "n": 4
     },
     {
      "item": "Dryer",
      "n": 2
     },
     {
      "item": "Range or oven",
      "n": 2
     },
     {
      "item": "Not sure yet",
      "n": 2
     }
    ],
    "Phones, tablets, or computers": [
     {
      "item": "Smartphone",
      "n": 31
     },
     {
      "item": "Laptop",
      "n": 23
     },
     {
      "item": "Tablet",
      "n": 9
     },
     {
      "item": "Desktop computer",
      "n": 7
     },
     {
      "item": "Not sure yet",
      "n": 2
     }
    ],
    "Sheds or outdoor storage buildings": [
     {
      "item": "Medium (8-10 ft)",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "Large (10-12 ft)",
      "n": 1
     }
    ],
    "Jewelry or watches": [
     {
      "item": "Necklace or bracelet",
      "n": 12
     },
     {
      "item": "Not sure yet",
      "n": 7
     },
     {
      "item": "Watch",
      "n": 4
     },
     {
      "item": "Earrings",
      "n": 1
     }
    ],
    "Toys": [
     {
      "item": "Toys for my grandchildren",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "toys or stuff for my daughter",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "Not sure specifically yet",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "Godzilla figures",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "riding toys",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "A new couch, playstation 5 pro",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "I'm not sure of the exact toy, however the vast majority of the things I buy i buy through payment plans.",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "toys for grandkids 2yr and 1yr",
      "n": 1
     }
    ],
    "Tools or outdoor equipment": [
     {
      "item": "Lawn or garden equipment",
      "n": 2
     },
     {
      "item": "Power tools",
      "n": 2
     },
     {
      "item": "Generator",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "Not sure yet",
      "n": 1
     }
    ],
    "Tires or wheels": [
     {
      "item": "Full set of 4",
      "n": 4
     },
     {
      "item": "2 tires",
      "n": 3
     },
     {
      "item": "Rims or wheels too",
      "n": 1
     }
    ]
   }
  },
  "bnpl": {
   "n": 375,
   "categories": [
    {
     "cat": "Gaming consoles, gaming PCs, or video games",
     "n": 96,
     "pct": 25.6
    },
    {
     "cat": "TVs or home electronics",
     "n": 74,
     "pct": 19.7
    },
    {
     "cat": "Phones, tablets, or computers",
     "n": 57,
     "pct": 15.2
    },
    {
     "cat": "Clothing or shoes",
     "n": 31,
     "pct": 8.3
    },
    {
     "cat": "Furniture",
     "n": 29,
     "pct": 7.7
    },
    {
     "cat": "Appliances",
     "n": 28,
     "pct": 7.5
    },
    {
     "cat": "Toys",
     "n": 23,
     "pct": 6.1
    },
    {
     "cat": "Jewelry or watches",
     "n": 20,
     "pct": 5.3
    },
    {
     "cat": "Other",
     "n": 6,
     "pct": 1.6
    },
    {
     "cat": "Tires or wheels",
     "n": 5,
     "pct": 1.3
    },
    {
     "cat": "Tools or outdoor equipment",
     "n": 4,
     "pct": 1.1
    },
    {
     "cat": "Sheds or outdoor storage buildings",
     "n": 2,
     "pct": 0.5
    }
   ],
   "items": {
    "Gaming consoles, gaming PCs, or video games": [
     {
      "item": "PlayStation 5",
      "n": 28
     },
     {
      "item": "Nintendo Switch or Switch 2",
      "n": 21
     },
     {
      "item": "Gaming PC (desktop)",
      "n": 17
     },
     {
      "item": "Xbox Series X|S",
      "n": 10
     },
     {
      "item": "Games or accessories only (no new console)",
      "n": 10
     },
     {
      "item": "Gaming laptop",
      "n": 6
     },
     {
      "item": "Gaming PC or laptop",
      "n": 2
     },
     {
      "item": "Not sure yet",
      "n": 2
     }
    ],
    "TVs or home electronics": [
     {
      "item": "58\"-65\"",
      "n": 24
     },
     {
      "item": "43\"-55\"",
      "n": 21
     },
     {
      "item": "70\" or larger",
      "n": 13
     },
     {
      "item": "Sound bar or home theater system",
      "n": 5
     },
     {
      "item": "Other home electronics (not a TV)",
      "n": 5
     },
     {
      "item": "Not sure yet",
      "n": 4
     },
     {
      "item": "Under 43\"",
      "n": 2
     }
    ],
    "Clothing or shoes": [
     {
      "item": "shoes",
      "n": 2
     },
     {
      "item": "designer shoes and bag",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "Louis Vuitton Purse",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "New purse",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "Running shoes",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "Shoes",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "basketball shoes",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "a pair of designer shoes as a gift for my girlfriend",
      "n": 1
     }
    ],
    "Appliances": [
     {
      "item": "Washer and dryer set",
      "n": 9
     },
     {
      "item": "Small appliance (microwave, air fryer, etc.)",
      "n": 8
     },
     {
      "item": "Refrigerator",
      "n": 4
     },
     {
      "item": "Dishwasher",
      "n": 3
     },
     {
      "item": "Washer",
      "n": 2
     },
     {
      "item": "Range or oven",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "Dryer",
      "n": 1
     }
    ],
    "Sheds or outdoor storage buildings": [
     {
      "item": "Medium (8-10 ft)",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "Large (10-12 ft)",
      "n": 1
     }
    ],
    "Toys": [
     {
      "item": "Toys for my grandchildren",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "toys or stuff for my daughter",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "Not sure specifically yet",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "Godzilla figures",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "riding toys",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "A new couch, playstation 5 pro",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "I'm not sure of the exact toy, however the vast majority of the things I buy i buy through payment plans.",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "toys for grandkids 2yr and 1yr",
      "n": 1
     }
    ],
    "Phones, tablets, or computers": [
     {
      "item": "Smartphone",
      "n": 22
     },
     {
      "item": "Laptop",
      "n": 18
     },
     {
      "item": "Tablet",
      "n": 9
     },
     {
      "item": "Desktop computer",
      "n": 6
     },
     {
      "item": "Not sure yet",
      "n": 2
     }
    ],
    "Furniture": [
     {
      "item": "Sofa or couch",
      "n": 10
     },
     {
      "item": "Full living-room set",
      "n": 5
     },
     {
      "item": "Sectional",
      "n": 4
     },
     {
      "item": "Bedroom set",
      "n": 4
     },
     {
      "item": "Recliner or lift chair",
      "n": 3
     },
     {
      "item": "Mattress or bed frame",
      "n": 2
     },
     {
      "item": "Not sure yet",
      "n": 1
     }
    ],
    "Other": [
     {
      "item": "I have no clue yet",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "art supplies",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "Musical Instrument",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "Porch goose",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "bullion",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "some type of plushie my daughter wants.",
      "n": 1
     }
    ],
    "Jewelry or watches": [
     {
      "item": "Necklace or bracelet",
      "n": 8
     },
     {
      "item": "Not sure yet",
      "n": 7
     },
     {
      "item": "Watch",
      "n": 4
     },
     {
      "item": "Earrings",
      "n": 1
     }
    ],
    "Tools or outdoor equipment": [
     {
      "item": "Lawn or garden equipment",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "Power tools",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "Generator",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "Not sure yet",
      "n": 1
     }
    ],
    "Tires or wheels": [
     {
      "item": "Full set of 4",
      "n": 3
     },
     {
      "item": "2 tires",
      "n": 2
     }
    ]
   }
  },
  "rto": {
   "n": 101,
   "categories": [
    {
     "cat": "TVs or home electronics",
     "n": 25,
     "pct": 24.8
    },
    {
     "cat": "Gaming consoles, gaming PCs, or video games",
     "n": 22,
     "pct": 21.8
    },
    {
     "cat": "Furniture",
     "n": 15,
     "pct": 14.9
    },
    {
     "cat": "Phones, tablets, or computers",
     "n": 15,
     "pct": 14.9
    },
    {
     "cat": "Appliances",
     "n": 11,
     "pct": 10.9
    },
    {
     "cat": "Jewelry or watches",
     "n": 4,
     "pct": 4.0
    },
    {
     "cat": "Other",
     "n": 3,
     "pct": 3.0
    },
    {
     "cat": "Tires or wheels",
     "n": 3,
     "pct": 3.0
    },
    {
     "cat": "Tools or outdoor equipment",
     "n": 2,
     "pct": 2.0
    },
    {
     "cat": "Clothing or shoes",
     "n": 1,
     "pct": 1.0
    }
   ],
   "items": {
    "Furniture": [
     {
      "item": "Sofa or couch",
      "n": 5
     },
     {
      "item": "Full living-room set",
      "n": 3
     },
     {
      "item": "Bedroom set",
      "n": 3
     },
     {
      "item": "Sectional",
      "n": 2
     },
     {
      "item": "Dining set or table",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "Recliner or lift chair",
      "n": 1
     }
    ],
    "TVs or home electronics": [
     {
      "item": "43\"-55\"",
      "n": 9
     },
     {
      "item": "70\" or larger",
      "n": 9
     },
     {
      "item": "58\"-65\"",
      "n": 7
     }
    ],
    "Other": [
     {
      "item": "art",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "drum set",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "washer",
      "n": 1
     }
    ],
    "Gaming consoles, gaming PCs, or video games": [
     {
      "item": "PlayStation 5",
      "n": 11
     },
     {
      "item": "Nintendo Switch or Switch 2",
      "n": 3
     },
     {
      "item": "Games or accessories only (no new console)",
      "n": 2
     },
     {
      "item": "Gaming PC (desktop)",
      "n": 2
     },
     {
      "item": "Xbox Series X|S",
      "n": 2
     },
     {
      "item": "Gaming laptop",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "Not sure yet",
      "n": 1
     }
    ],
    "Phones, tablets, or computers": [
     {
      "item": "Smartphone",
      "n": 9
     },
     {
      "item": "Laptop",
      "n": 5
     },
     {
      "item": "Desktop computer",
      "n": 1
     }
    ],
    "Jewelry or watches": [
     {
      "item": "Necklace or bracelet",
      "n": 4
     }
    ],
    "Appliances": [
     {
      "item": "Refrigerator",
      "n": 2
     },
     {
      "item": "Not sure yet",
      "n": 2
     },
     {
      "item": "Washer",
      "n": 2
     },
     {
      "item": "Small appliance (microwave, air fryer, etc.)",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "Dishwasher",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "Dryer",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "Range or oven",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "Washer and dryer set",
      "n": 1
     }
    ],
    "Tools or outdoor equipment": [
     {
      "item": "Lawn or garden equipment",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "Power tools",
      "n": 1
     }
    ],
    "Tires or wheels": [
     {
      "item": "Rims or wheels too",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "2 tires",
      "n": 1
     },
     {
      "item": "Full set of 4",
      "n": 1
     }
    ],
    "Clothing or shoes": [
     {
      "item": "Outfits for the ones I will be buying gifts for",
      "n": 1
     }
    ]
   }
  }
 },
 "market_panels": {
  "yoy": {
   "n": 1669,
   "rows": [
    {
     "k": "About the same",
     "n": 796,
     "pct": 47.7
    },
    {
     "k": "Somewhat more",
     "n": 363,
     "pct": 21.7
    },
    {
     "k": "Somewhat less",
     "n": 304,
     "pct": 18.2
    },
    {
     "k": "Much less",
     "n": 118,
     "pct": 7.1
    },
    {
     "k": "Much more",
     "n": 77,
     "pct": 4.6
    },
    {
     "k": "I didn\u2019t shop last year",
     "n": 11,
     "pct": 0.7
    }
   ]
  },
  "income": {
   "n": 476,
   "rows": [
    {
     "k": "$50,000-$74,999",
     "n": 126,
     "pct": 26.5
    },
    {
     "k": "$25,000-$49,999",
     "n": 118,
     "pct": 24.8
    },
    {
     "k": "$100,000-$149,999",
     "n": 82,
     "pct": 17.2
    },
    {
     "k": "$75,000-$99,999",
     "n": 71,
     "pct": 14.9
    },
    {
     "k": "Under $25,000",
     "n": 39,
     "pct": 8.2
    },
    {
     "k": "$150,000 or more",
     "n": 37,
     "pct": 7.8
    },
    {
     "k": "Prefer not to say",
     "n": 3,
     "pct": 0.6
    }
   ]
  },
  "discovery": {
   "respondents_answering": 2038,
   "rows": [
    {
     "k": "Google or another search engine",
     "n": 1682,
     "pct": 82.5
    },
    {
     "k": "Amazon or store websites and apps",
     "n": 1520,
     "pct": 74.6
    },
    {
     "k": "Browsing in stores",
     "n": 1141,
     "pct": 56.0
    },
    {
     "k": "An AI assistant (like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Grok)",
     "n": 703,
     "pct": 34.5
    },
    {
     "k": "Friends and family",
     "n": 666,
     "pct": 32.7
    },
    {
     "k": "YouTube",
     "n": 360,
     "pct": 17.7
    },
    {
     "k": "Facebook or Instagram",
     "n": 340,
     "pct": 16.7
    },
    {
     "k": "TikTok",
     "n": 275,
     "pct": 13.5
    },
    {
     "k": "Other",
     "n": 87,
     "pct": 4.3
    }
   ],
   "note": "pct = share of answering respondents selecting each option (multi-select; columns sum over 100)"
  },
  "ai_assistant": {
   "n": 2038,
   "rows": [
    {
     "k": "ChatGPT",
     "n": 812,
     "pct": 39.8
    },
    {
     "k": "Gemini (Google)",
     "n": 550,
     "pct": 27.0
    },
    {
     "k": "I don\u2019t use AI assistants for shopping",
     "n": 529,
     "pct": 26.0
    },
    {
     "k": "Copilot (Microsoft)",
     "n": 49,
     "pct": 2.4
    },
    {
     "k": "Another AI assistant",
     "n": 45,
     "pct": 2.2
    },
    {
     "k": "Grok",
     "n": 36,
     "pct": 1.8
    },
    {
     "k": "Meta AI",
     "n": 17,
     "pct": 0.8
    }
   ]
  },
  "trust": {
   "n": 2038,
   "rows": [
    {
     "k": "Reviews and ratings from other customers",
     "n": 1299,
     "pct": 63.7
    },
    {
     "k": "Recommendations from friends or family",
     "n": 217,
     "pct": 10.6
    },
    {
     "k": "Clear prices and terms shown up front",
     "n": 196,
     "pct": 9.6
    },
    {
     "k": "Already knowing the brand name",
     "n": 143,
     "pct": 7.0
    },
    {
     "k": "A recommendation from an AI assistant (like ChatGPT)",
     "n": 101,
     "pct": 5.0
    },
    {
     "k": "The look and feel of their website",
     "n": 62,
     "pct": 3.0
    },
    {
     "k": "Social media",
     "n": 13,
     "pct": 0.6
    },
    {
     "k": "Other",
     "n": 7,
     "pct": 0.3
    }
   ]
  },
  "channel": {
   "n": 101,
   "rows": [
    {
     "k": "As a payment option at checkout, online or in a store (like Acima, Progressive Leasing, or Katapult)",
     "n": 52,
     "pct": 51.5
    },
    {
     "k": "At a store that rents items (like Rent-A-Center, Aaron\u2019s, Buddy\u2019s, or an independent rent-to-own store)",
     "n": 39,
     "pct": 38.6
    },
    {
     "k": "Not sure yet",
     "n": 10,
     "pct": 9.9
    }
   ]
  },
  "brand_consideration": {
   "respondents_answering": 476,
   "rows": [
    {
     "k": "Affirm",
     "n": 234,
     "pct": 49.2
    },
    {
     "k": "PayPal Pay in 4",
     "n": 218,
     "pct": 45.8
    },
    {
     "k": "Klarna",
     "n": 216,
     "pct": 45.4
    },
    {
     "k": "Afterpay",
     "n": 190,
     "pct": 39.9
    },
    {
     "k": "Sezzle",
     "n": 57,
     "pct": 12.0
    },
    {
     "k": "Zip",
     "n": 56,
     "pct": 11.8
    },
    {
     "k": "Not sure yet",
     "n": 47,
     "pct": 9.9
    },
    {
     "k": "Rent-A-Center",
     "n": 37,
     "pct": 7.8
    },
    {
     "k": "Katapult",
     "n": 25,
     "pct": 5.3
    },
    {
     "k": "Progressive Leasing",
     "n": 24,
     "pct": 5.0
    },
    {
     "k": "Aaron\u2019s",
     "n": 24,
     "pct": 5.0
    },
    {
     "k": "Acima",
     "n": 21,
     "pct": 4.4
    },
    {
     "k": "FlexShopper",
     "n": 18,
     "pct": 3.8
    },
    {
     "k": "An independent rent-to-own store",
     "n": 16,
     "pct": 3.4
    }
   ],
   "note": "pct = share of the 476 planners with a brand answer who selected each brand (multi-select)"
  },
  "brand_first_choice": {
   "n": 476,
   "rows": [
    {
     "k": "PayPal Pay in 4",
     "n": 114,
     "pct": 23.9
    },
    {
     "k": "Affirm",
     "n": 106,
     "pct": 22.3
    },
    {
     "k": "Klarna",
     "n": 66,
     "pct": 13.9
    },
    {
     "k": "Afterpay",
     "n": 46,
     "pct": 9.7
    },
    {
     "k": "Rent-A-Center",
     "n": 29,
     "pct": 6.1
    },
    {
     "k": "Not sure yet",
     "n": 26,
     "pct": 5.5
    },
    {
     "k": "Zip",
     "n": 16,
     "pct": 3.4
    },
    {
     "k": "Katapult",
     "n": 15,
     "pct": 3.2
    },
    {
     "k": "Sezzle",
     "n": 12,
     "pct": 2.5
    },
    {
     "k": "Aaron\u2019s",
     "n": 9,
     "pct": 1.9
    },
    {
     "k": "American First Finance",
     "n": 9,
     "pct": 1.9
    },
    {
     "k": "Acima",
     "n": 7,
     "pct": 1.5
    },
    {
     "k": "Progressive Leasing",
     "n": 6,
     "pct": 1.3
    },
    {
     "k": "FlexShopper",
     "n": 5,
     "pct": 1.1
    }
   ]
  }
 },
 "license_note": "Aggregate statistics may be cited with attribution to WOW Brands research (buying data) and VRTO Research (satisfaction data).",
 "budgets": {
  "rto_weekly_payment_budget": {
   "n": 101,
   "rows": [
    {
     "band": "$20\u201329 a week (about $80\u2013129 a month)",
     "n": 34
    },
    {
     "band": "$30\u201349 a week (about $130\u2013209 a month)",
     "n": 28
    },
    {
     "band": "$10\u201319 a week (about $40\u201379 a month)",
     "n": 21
    },
    {
     "band": "Under $10 a week (about $40 a month)",
     "n": 9
    },
    {
     "band": "$50 or more a week ($210+ a month)",
     "n": 6
    },
    {
     "band": "Not sure",
     "n": 3
    }
   ],
   "context": "weekly payment bands, asked of rent-to-own/lease-involved planners"
  },
  "bnpl_item_budget": {
   "n": 375,
   "rows": [
    {
     "band": "$500-$999",
     "n": 125
    },
    {
     "band": "$250-$499",
     "n": 82
    },
    {
     "band": "$1,000-$1,999",
     "n": 72
    },
    {
     "band": "$100-$249",
     "n": 50
    },
    {
     "band": "$2,000 or more",
     "n": 23
    },
    {
     "band": "Under $100",
     "n": 17
    },
    {
     "band": "Not sure",
     "n": 6
    }
   ],
   "context": "total item cost bands, asked of BNPL-only planners"
  },
  "note": "different constructs; never combine"
 },
 "corrections_log": [
  {
   "date": "2026-08-23",
   "change": "discovery and brand-consideration percentages recomputed on respondent base (previously share of selections); budget objects renamed to explicit constructs; sampling disclosure added",
   "trigger": "external AI audit"
  },
  {
   "date": "2026-08-23",
   "change": "second external AI audit: instrument-version disclosure added (wave 1 lacked the year-over-year item; \"single frozen instrument\" claim corrected), anonymization statement made precise after disclosure review of retained text fields, SRS-equivalent framing applied to margins of error per AAPOR, Prolific submission dispositions published, fielding window stated in UTC, not-sure-yet co-selection and segment-label notes added",
   "trigger": "external AI audit #2"
  }
 ]
}