Klarna has partnered with SQUIRE, a US-based AI software platform that helps barbershops run their businesses through automation, integrated payments, and booking tools. The partnership integrates Klarna into SQUIRE's booking experience, allowing around 30,000 US barbershops on the platform to offer Klarna's payment options to their customers at checkout for haircuts, grooming, and beauty services. Stripe powers the integration.
Payment options at the booking stage
Customers booking haircuts or grooming services at SQUIRE-powered barbershops can choose Klarna at checkout. They can pay in full for a standard haircut, split the cost into four interest-free instalments for a haircut-and-beard package, or use financing for higher-value purchases such as memberships or premium grooming packages. Because Klarna sits inside SQUIRE's existing booking flow, barbershops can offer the payment options without setting up a separate integration.
Lisa Robinson, Head of Partner Success, US East Coast and Canada at Klarna, said barbershops are a category built on loyal customers and personal trust, and that the partnership extends Klarna's reach beyond retail into everyday services. Dave Salvant, Co-Founder and President of SQUIRE, said the integration gives clients more flexibility to pay for higher-priced services and helps shops grow through a platform they already use.
Klarna's distribution partnership strategy
The deal is part of Klarna's strategy of building distribution partnerships with platforms and payment providers to reach merchants at scale. Rather than signing individual businesses, Klarna gains access to a platform's merchant base through a single integration, in this case through SQUIRE and its payments partner Stripe. Klarna describes itself as an everyday finance network and is extending its payment options from retail into everyday services such as grooming and beauty.
Klarna says this approach has contributed to growth in its merchant network, which increased by 54% year on year to more than 1.2 million merchants in the second quarter of 2026. For SQUIRE, the integration adds another payment option to the booking and payments tools it provides to independent barbershop owners, alongside its scheduling, automation, and business management features, as it builds an operating system to help independent owners compete.
