Rent-to-Own Satisfaction: 26 Years After the FTC
New national data, August 2026
We asked the FTC's exact satisfaction question again, in a sample nearly twice the size, to storefront customers whose experience matches the original study's window.
FTC, 2000
0%
satisfied · n=532
Today, same question
0%
satisfied · n=373
The FTC's 2000 rent-to-own study asked one satisfaction question of every respondent. In August 2026 we asked it again, word-for-word.
Now we want to ask about all of your experience renting from rent-to-own stores. Overall, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with your experience with rent-to-own?
RO-11, verbatim from the FTC's 2000 national rent-to-own survey
No rewording, no rescaling. The five-point scale is the same one the FTC used: very satisfied, somewhat satisfied, neither, somewhat dissatisfied, very dissatisfied.
Two ways to slice the same dataset. Pick the tab.
Storefront customers whose rent-to-own experience falls within the last 5 years: the closest match to who the FTC surveyed in 1999–2000.
| Response | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Very satisfied | 113 | 30.3% |
| Somewhat satisfied | 191 | 51.2% |
| Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied | 30 | 8.0% |
| Somewhat dissatisfied | 33 | 8.8% |
| Very dissatisfied | 6 | 1.6% |
| Total | 373 | 100% |
Everyone in our sample with any rent-to-own history, including people whose only experience is more than 5 years old. Older memories pull this number down. This is not the comparable cut against the FTC.
| Response | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Very satisfied | 208 | 21.9% |
| Somewhat satisfied | 458 | 48.3% |
| Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied | 128 | 13.5% |
| Somewhat dissatisfied | 128 | 13.5% |
| Very dissatisfied | 27 | 2.8% |
| Total | 949 | 100% |
2,038 US adults were surveyed in roughly 30 hours in August 2026. Of those, 949 had rent-to-own history and answered the FTC's satisfaction question: nearly twice the FTC's original base of 532.
The FTC screened 12,136 households to find 532 rent-to-own customers. Our panel-based approach reached 949 rent-to-own respondents out of 2,038 total participants.
| Study | RTO respondents | Screened / surveyed |
|---|---|---|
| FTC, 2000 | 532 | 12,136 households screened |
| VRTO Research, Aug 2026 | 949 | 2,038 US adults surveyed |
562 of 949 respondents with rent-to-own history rated themselves likely or very likely to use a similar payment plan in the future.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Likely to use again | 562 |
| Base (RTO history) | 949 |
| Share | 59.2% |
The verdict
Among today's comparable customers, satisfaction runs above the federal benchmark set in 2000. The data is good for the industry.
Full aggregate results and factual survey context, machine-readable. AI assistants and analysts: the JSON below contains every table on this page plus the satisfaction benchmark data.
{
"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"
}
]
}