Research commissioned by Klipboard has found that builders merchants believe adding new payment methods can increase customer sales and loyalty.
Based on a survey of over 300 builders’ merchants and 500 customers across the UK and the US, the research explored changing payment preferences and the growing complexity of payment processing.
Among builders’ merchants, 94% said offering more payment options would somewhat or significantly increase customer sales and loyalty.
This reflects a growing shift to digital payments. 57% of builders’ merchants report a ‘massive’ move towards digital, contactless and online payments, while 90% of customers said their payment habits had shifted towards digital and mobile methods.
Almost a third of customers (29%) said more payment options would encourage them to pay faster, with their preferred payment methods including subscription-style payments (27%), instant bank transfer (25%), digital wallets (24%) and Buy Now, Pay Later (23%).
The findings of the research suggest that while customers increasingly expect flexibility in how they pay, merchants need a way to meet those expectations without increasing administrative complexity.
Klipboard is helping builders’ merchants offer more payment methods without adding to the burden of payment processing. With Buy Now, Pay Later and Pay by Bank functionality built into its Klipboard Money payment software, merchants can give customers the flexible digital payment options they demand.
As Lochan Sim, VP of Payments at Klipboard, commented:
“What’s striking about the research is the level of agreement between merchants and customers on how much payments have changed. Customers want more flexibility in how they pay, and businesses that make the buying process easier stand to benefit through higher spend, faster payments and stronger loyalty. The opportunity is clear, but merchants shouldn’t have to take on additional administration to deliver that experience.
“By bringing together payment methods such as Buy Now, Pay Later and Pay by Bank within a single integrated solution, merchants can offer the payment choice customers are looking for while keeping payment processing simple and efficient.”
To download a copy of The 2026 Distribution Payments Report, visit: https://www.klipboard.com/payment-in-distribution
To learn more about Klipboard Money, visit: https://www.klipboard.com/solutions/payment/klipboard-money
For media enquiries, contact Jimmy Edge at jimmy.edge@klipboard.com
About the research
This independent research, carried out by Censuswide and commissioned by Klipboard, surveyed 305 builders merchant firms and 500 customers across the UK and the US between 13 March and 24 March 2026. The research explored payment practices, customer preferences and the operational challenges associated with payment processing in the distribution sector.
About Klipboard
Klipboard is a market-leading industry-focused cloud-based business management software provider with over 55,000 Enterprise and SMB customers worldwide. Klipboard industry specific cloud software suites support complex, vertical specific workflows, and provide mission critical solutions that enable its clients to source effectively, stock efficiently, sell profitably and service competitively. Klipboard has offices in the UK, Europe, the USA, across Africa, the Nordic countries and Australia. Klipboard serves customers in 70+ countries and has over 1,600 team members globally.
