PROG Holdings, Inc. (PROG Holdings) operates as a financial technology holding company that provides transparent and competitive payment options to consumers.
PROG Holdings' operating segments include Progressive Leasing, an in-store, app-based, and e-commerce point-of-sale lease-to-own solutions provider, Vive Financial (Vive), an omnichannel provider of second-look revolving credit products, and Four Technologies, Inc. (Four), which offers Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) payment options to consumer...
PROG Holdings, Inc. (PROG Holdings) operates as a financial technology holding company that provides transparent and competitive payment options to consumers.
PROG Holdings' operating segments include Progressive Leasing, an in-store, app-based, and e-commerce point-of-sale lease-to-own solutions provider, Vive Financial (Vive), an omnichannel provider of second-look revolving credit products, and Four Technologies, Inc. (Four), which offers Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) payment options to consumers through the Four platform. PROG Holdings also owns Build, a credit building financial management tool.
The Progressive Leasing segment comprised approximately 96% of its consolidated revenues for the year ended December 31, 2024. Progressive Leasing provides consumers with lease-purchase solutions for merchandise, including furniture, appliances, electronics, mobile phones and accessories, jewelry, mattresses, and automobile electronics and accessories from leading traditional and e-commerce retailers (whom it refers to as its point-of-sale partners, POS partners, or retail partners). Many of the company’s customers fall within the near-prime or subprime Fair Isaac and Company (FICO) score categories and may have difficulty purchasing big-ticket and other durable goods they desire. Progressive Leasing's technology-based, proprietary decisioning platform offers prompt lease decisioning at the point-of-sale and is integrated with both traditional and e-commerce POS partners' systems. Progressive Leasing provides customers with transparent and competitive lease payment options along with flexible terms that are designed to help customers achieve merchandise ownership, including through low initial payments and early buyout options.
Strategy
The company’s strategy to drive growth in its business, which positions it for success over the long-term, includes the following: grow its gross merchandise volume (GMV) through existing merchant partners, new partners, and direct-to-consumer initiatives; enhancing its industry-leading consumer experience; and expanding its ecosystem to increase access and deliver more value to its consumers.
Operating Segments
The company has three operating segments: Progressive Leasing, Vive and Four. The company's two reportable segments are Progressive Leasing and Vive.
Progressive Leasing
Progressive Leasing is the company’s largest operating segment, which empowers consumers and businesses with transparent and flexible lease-to-own options to help consumers achieve ownership of durable goods. Progressive Leasing provides in-store, app-based, and e-commerce point-of-sale lease-to-own solutions through approximately 23,000 third-party POS partner locations and e-commerce websites in 45 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. It does so by purchasing the desired merchandise from POS partners and, in turn, leasing that merchandise to customers through a cancellable lease-to-own transaction. Progressive Leasing consequently has no stores of its own, but rather offers lease-purchase solutions to the customers of traditional and e-commerce retailers.
Vive
Vive primarily serves customers who may not qualify for traditional prime lending offers and desire to purchase goods and services from participating merchants. Vive offers customized programs with services that include revolving loans through private label and Vive-branded credit cards. Vive's network of over 6,200 POS partner locations and e-commerce websites includes furniture, mattresses, fitness equipment, and home improvement retailers, as well as medical and dental service providers.
Four
Four provides consumers of all credit backgrounds with BNPL options through four interest-free installments. Four's proprietary platform capabilities provide the company’s base of customers and POS partners with another payment solution as part of the PROG Holdings financial technology offerings. Shoppers use Four's platform to purchase furniture, clothing, electronics, health and beauty, footwear, jewelry, and other consumer goods from retailers across the United States. Four's financial results are reported within Other for segment reporting purposes.
Marketing and Advertising
Progressive Leasing actively markets its leasing services to help its customers achieve ownership of durable goods and drive new shoppers and incremental revenue for the company’s POS partners. To accomplish these goals, it invests in digital, traditional, and in-store marketing, and its internal marketing and data science teams continually evaluate and optimize this investment to maximize the benefit for its POS partners.
The company’s robust digital media program comprising paid search, digital display, mobile, video, and paid social advertising. Through a variety of media testing methods, it can verify the impact of its paid digital media on in-store and online shopping trips and lease origination activity. In addition, targeted, personalized email and text marketing campaigns leverage its large customer database, educating customers about lease-to-own offerings, and driving lease conversion and sales for its POS partners. In addition, in cooperation with the company’s POS partners, Progressive Leasing leverages a variety of in-store marketing materials to drive awareness at the point of sale. These efforts drive new and returning customers online and into retail locations, generating incremental sales for its POS partners.
Seasonality
Progressive Leasing's revenue mix is moderately seasonal. Adjusting for growth, the first quarter of each year generally has higher revenues than any other quarter. This is primarily due to realizing the benefit of the company’s POS partners' increases in business and higher lease originations during the fourth quarter (year ended December 2024) holiday season, as well as increased liquidity for its customers in the first quarter due to receipt of federal and state income tax refunds.
History
The company was founded in 1955. It was formerly known as Aaron's, Inc. and changed its name to PROG Holdings, Inc. in 2020.