Buy now, pay later services are retailers’ next great hope

‘BNPL’ started as a credit card killer, but what if it’s really an end run around the Facebook ad-industrial complex? The fashion retailer Express, a mall-culture staple, is on a mission to transform itself for the digital era. It manages a flock of social-selling influencers and is using data to personalize the experience of browsing its hot-pink crop tops and sequined statement blazers. The finishing touch on this brand makeover? A partnership with the buy now, pay later (BNPL) company...