"I'm low-key obsessed with Klarna, the stylish shopping app that gives you a heads-up on sales."

When I heard about Klarna, the clever Swedish-founded app tipped as ‘social media for shopping’, I was pretty keen to get around it.

As a lifestyle editor with a deep love of fashion, beauty and homewares, I’ve long been a fan of using my socials to help curate my personal style and inspire my living space.

But where Instagram is great as a visual moodboard, and Pinterest helps you source and collect trends, Klarna goes one step further by bringing inspiration together with a seamless shopping experience, so you can get the pieces you’re coveting in your wardrobe, home, or on your face, that much faster.

I took Klarna for a road test to see what this 'buy now, pay later' app's all about. Here are five things you need to know.

1. It's user-friendly, even if you're basic when it comes to...digital stuff.

First things first - when I downloaded Klarna onto my iPhone, everything was gloriously automated. So there was very little I actually needed to do to get set up. I just authorised it and let it do its thing - big plus for a lazy gal who forgets all her passwords.

I was able to link Klarna to my bank account and debit card for ease of payment. I could load my address, phone number and connect my Face ID, which again, just means you’re getting to the good stuff (gimme the shoes) that much quicker.

2. It's intuitive.

When I signed up, I was prompted to tell the app what I like to shop - selecting from categories like skincare, fitness, wellness, minimalist and lots more.

I selected a few to get started, including 'Women’s Classic', 'Eclectic Home', and 'Skincare' - because it’s a pandemic and serums seem to be the only thing that can save 2020.

Next, I was asked to select my favourite brands. I chose Zara, Mecca, Zimmermann, Bec & Bridge, H&M and Uniqlo. But you can opt to follow any number of sportswear or home brands, and even superstores like Bunnings and JB Hi-Fi. It’s very much 'you do you'.

(Side note: I’ve been assured Klarna won’t spam you with things you’re not interested in; it adapts to your preferences and serves you what you’re into. Kinda like a personal shopper, y’know?)

3. It does the shopping for you.

After making my preferences, I was served up some content tailored to my needs. These looked a bit like playlists on Spotify, only they were full of shoppable suggestions. Like this one:

Image: Supplied.

The first beauty collection I perused was 'Summer Glow', an edit of on-point prods from chic skincare brands like The Ordinary, Fenty and Nip & Fab (I’ve been eyeing off Fenty’s Glow Skinstick, so I added that to my wish list for later.) 

A slice of the 'Summer Glow' edit. Image: Supplied.

Another edit I jumped into was 'Scandi Living' - my fiance and I just bought our first house, so we’re a bit preoccupied with decking it out right now. This collection was a nice, neat edit of 26 Swede-influenced pieces from brands like IKEA and Adairs.

For me, shopping on the IKEA website is almost as overwhelming as going into store. This simplified it (sadly there were no meatballs, but one app can't do it all). After a quick scroll I found a rattan chair I absolutely need in my life so again, that went in the wish list.

THE CHAIR. Image: Supplied.

As I started to get the hang of the app experience, I realised wish lists are the way to go. I created separate lists for Home, Style and Beauty, and I plan to jump back into these when payday rolls around. (But Klarna offers you the ability to shop now and pay later anywhere online. Handy.)

You can also follow and share wish lists your friends have created, or peep ones made by influencers and Klarna’s in-house shopping experts. If you’re used to clicking on the outfits of influencers on Instagram to see the details, you’ll definitely like this.

4. It saves you money on the things you want.

OH - the other excellent thing about wish lists is that you can set alerts for items you’ve saved, and you’ll be notified when they go on sale. That’ll be especially useful in the lead-up to the end-of-season sales and shopping events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

On that, there's also a whole section of the app devoted to weekly sales - it's like a fast-track to the brands you like offering major discounts. I clocked up to 50 per cent off Seed Heritage, and up to 70 per cent off Bonds.

5. It's got legit fashion cred.

As a fashion gal, one of my favourite features was the ‘Discover’ section, where the app’s content editor, former Harper’s Bazaar ed Kellie Hush, applies her well-honed eye to the season’s trends and talking points. Fun fact: Kellie was a former boss of mine when we worked in magazines, she’s one of the most stylish women I know - and I’m so here for her lending her immense fashion knowledge to this platform.

Also eyeing off this MLM top. The button on the bottom left links to your Klarna account to pay in one click. Image: Supplied.

All in all, using Klarna is honestly SO MUCH EASIER than looking at clunky e-commerce sites when you want to shop - and it’s heaps more fun, too. I zapped a good half hour sorting out my summer skincare routine, and scrolled through the homeware edits all Sunday afternoon (haven’t bought the chair yet, but lurking it frequently.)

If you like shopping - and if you’ve got this far I can only assume you do - it’s well worth a download.

Thank me later, mates.

Download Klarna in the App Store.