Block Inc.’s XYZ Afterpay is strengthening its position in sports commerce by becoming Fanatics' preferred Buy Now, Pay Later (“BNPL”) partner. The expanded relationship gives Afterpay access to Fanatics’ extensive digital sports marketplace, creating more opportunities to offer flexible payment options to shoppers purchasing merchandise from their favorite teams and leagues.
Eligible customers will be able to use Afterpay’s Pay in 4 and Pay Monthly options across Fanatics’ online stores, including Fanatics.com, Lids.com, NBAStore.com and NHLShop.com. The offering covers purchases ranging from jerseys and apparel to collectibles and memorabilia.
The partnership expands Afterpay’s presence in a category where consumer spending can rise around major sporting events, championship celebrations, new-season launches and other fan-driven occasions. The relationship builds on previous collaboration between the companies, including an Afterpay activation at Fanatics Fest, and could eventually extend to additional sports events, fan experiences and commerce opportunities.
For Block, the expanded partnership supports Afterpay’s efforts to broaden its merchant network and reach more consumers through established digital platforms. Broader acceptance across Fanatics’ ecosystem could increase BNPL usage, strengthen customer engagement and generate additional payment volume.
The deal also aligns with Block’s broader efforts to connect its consumer and commerce businesses through complementary financial services. Increased merchant adoption and customer usage would potentially strengthen Afterpay’s contribution to Block’s payments ecosystem while helping the company pursue growth across additional commerce categories.
Over the past six months, shares of this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company have rallied 26.7% compared with the industry's growth of 26.3%.
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Some better-ranked stocks from the internet-software sector are BILL Holdings, Inc. BILL and Paycom Software PAYC, each sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks Rank #1 stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BILL’s 2027 earnings per share (EPS) has moved northward 2.5% to $3.69 over the past month.
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Note: Anything related to earnings presented in this write-up represents funds from operations (FFO), a widely used metric to gauge the performance of REITs.
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