Albanians spend on love, installment purchases are a trend

The global trend of installment purchases also in Albania: a 283% increase. 178 citizens tried installment purchases for the first time: they receive the product immediately, while paying in 4 equal parts, with 0 additional costs. Albanians spend to buy new phones but also jewelry, glasses, perfumes, etc.

In the Balkan tradition, whether it is a national holiday, a religious holiday, or a holiday of love, congratulations are always accompanied by gifts. Almost all businesses in the country, especially those in industries that can approach love, communicate marketing campaigns to attract the attention of citizens, who are ready to increase their purchasing power, for the sake of love. There is a trend that shows that to celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 14, Albanians spend enough money and are not afraid of expenses: some because they have sufficient income, some because they have chosen installment purchases.

The global trend Buy Now Pay Later

It is important to buy a gift for your partner, no matter how – and if you do it while saving money and taking care of your personal finances, even better. In the Western world it is called “Buy Now, Pay Later” (translated from English, Buy Now, Pay Later) and is a global trend that began about two decades ago. Well-known digital finance companies such as Klarna, Affirm, Scalapay, Sezzle, PayPal, etc., have been offering this service for years, which is already very useful for the population. In Albania, we often refer to it simply as installment purchases: dividing the payment into parts so that you do not immediately pay the full price – but you get the product at home immediately. The leading digital finance institution in the country remains iute, while the most attractive payment method of the moment is called Smart0%. Smart because it is symbolic of smart purchases that do not burden your pocket, 0% because the interest paid by the customer is truly 0: therefore 0 additional costs on the product.

Installment purchases, a trend that is growing locally

Installment purchases are gaining ground and confirming their position as a growing trend. According to an analysis by expert Laert Beqari, Sales Director at Partners in iute, we understand that Albanians are choosing to divide their payments into 4 parts, to better manage their monthly budget. If we refer only to the campaign dedicated to the day of love, installment purchases reach an impressive increase of 283% compared to 2025: from 94 transactions to 360; while income in value, an increase of 324%. In terms of year-on-year comparison, at the overall sales level, an increase of 35% is observed. Meanwhile, in addition to existing customers, 178 new customers used the Myiute application to secure this digitalized financial service.

Not only phones, cosmetics and jewelry are also preferred

In the local market, telephony or electronic devices are the industries that have previously embraced the concept of installment purchases, being at the top of the sales list for a long time, not only for Valentine’s Day. In recent years, there has been a spread of this payment method in other industries such as fashion, cosmetics, precious stones, etc. In this campaign dedicated to love, 28 different businesses participated, from electronics stores, to jewelry, optics, perfumeries, etc., while the most prominent gifts purchased in installments were smartphones, rings, glasses and perfumes.