Would You Add A Car to Your Amazon Cart?

Summary

WSJ Tech News Briefing — "Would You Add A Car to Your Amazon Cart?"

Date: December 2, 2025
Host: Patrick Coffey, with segments hosted by Katie Dayton
Featured Experts: Imani Moise (WSJ Personal Economics reporter), Sean McClain (WSJ reporter)

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Episode Overview

This episode explores two major tech stories:

1. Block’s New Credit Score: The fintech company Block (parent of Cash App and Afterpay) is launching a transparent, internal credit scoring system for its users, signaling a move away from traditional credit bureaus and models.
2. Amazon’s Big-Big-Ticket Ambitions: Amazon is expanding into the sale of high-end items—most notably, cars—allowing shoppers to add automobiles to their Amazon carts, and examining what this means for the future of ecommerce and brick-and-mortar retail.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Block’s Transparent Credit Score

(Segment: 01:23–05:29)

What is Block?

• Block owns several major fintech products:
  • Cash App (peer-to-peer payments, Bitcoin purchases, savings, debit cards)
  • Afterpay (buy now, pay later platform; competitor to Affirm, Klarna)
• These platforms operate mainly outside the traditional banking system.

Why Introduce an Internal Credit Score?

• Traditionally, Block has been vocal against integrating fintech-powered loans (like Buy Now, Pay Later) into mainstream credit reporting, fearing users would be negatively affected.
  • Quote: "If you guys aren’t going to move fast enough to build a system that can accommodate us, we’re going to build our own system." —Imani Moise (02:34)
• Their new, internal score is a response—essentially saying they don’t need to depend on Experian, Equifax, or FICO.

What Makes Block’s Credit Score Different?

• Traditional Credit Score: Based on broad credit history—credit cards, mortgages, payment timeliness.

• Block’s Score:

  • Uses only internal data (Cash App balance, history of repaying block-issued loans).
  • May integrate deposit-level data (how much is in your bank, not just what you borrow).
  • Potentially fairer for “thin file” customers (young people, immigrants) overlooked by traditional scoring.

  Quote: "The Cash App score is based on things like how much money you have in your Cash App account, do you carry a balance, and what is your track record with paying back Cash App loans or Block loans specifically." —Imani Moise (03:12)

Implications for Consumers

• Today, these loans do not appear on regular credit reports, but if mainstream banks start to monitor them, there may be challenges:

  • Banks may see frequent use of small-dollar loans as risky.
  • Consumers could eventually juggle multiple credit scores.
  • Fintech credit appealing to “thin credit file” people—young, immigrants, or those with lower income.
  • The majority of fast-growing consumer loans are outside traditional credit systems ("buy now, pay later," earned wage access).

  Quote: "The fastest growing kinds of consumer credit right now are happening outside the traditional credit scoring system." —Imani Moise (04:49)

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2. Amazon’s Foray Into Selling Cars

(Segment: 06:36–12:08)

Why Sell Big-Ticket Items on Amazon?

• Historically, Amazon hasn't attracted many shoppers for luxury goods or cars—most buy “everyday essentials.”

  • Yet some high-end brands (Hyundai, Rolex, Chanel) are signing on.

• Pandemic fundamentally shifted consumer shopping habits:

  • Online shopping comfort increased and has largely stuck, even as consumers return to physical stores.
  • Brands realized online sales can be additive rather than cannibalistic.

  Quote: "A lot has changed in the past couple years to make brands more willing to sell on Amazon… a lot of those online shopping habits have stuck around." —Sean McClain (07:29)

Emerging Statistics

• E-commerce’s slice of retail grew from 9% (2018) to 15.5% (2025).
• Even 1% of Amazon shoppers making $10,000+ purchases is millions of people.

Why Expand Now?

• Amazon has long pursued this play, but more brands are finally open to it.

  • Brick-and-mortar is still 85% of retail sales, but digital is steadily growing.
  • Even for large purchases, people are now more open to at least initiating those purchases online.
  • Example: Hyundai finds that 9 in 10 Amazon car browsers are new to the brand, about half are first-time buyers.

  Quote: "There is something about the halo of Amazon's marketplace as a place of easy, reliable returns and easy delivery that makes people more likely to buy a brand they're unfamiliar with." —Sean McClain (09:39)

Details on Car Purchasing

• Cars must still be picked up at physical dealers (US law); Amazon is more of a digital storefront and lead generator.

  • You buy online, but pickup/financial paperwork happens at the dealership.

  Quote: "You still have to purchase a car from a physical dealership...you're still going to see the car and drive it off the lot from there." —Sean McClain (10:11)

The Marketplace Battle: Amazon vs. Walmart

• Amazon’s scale and all-in-one approach remain unmatched, but:

  • Rising competition with Walmart (especially Walmart+ membership, fast delivery).
  • The battle is shifting to “outer fringes” of retail: luxury goods, cars, specialty products, not just toilet paper and groceries.
  • Questions loom about dominance in the used car/auto market, especially as AI reshapes commerce.

  Quote: "Clearly Prime has been an amazing engine for a place like Walmart to get us to shop there more regularly...building that loyalty and then offering everything to everybody, like clearly there’s a competition there." —Sean McClain (11:10)

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Memorable Quotes & Timestamps

• "If you guys aren’t going to move fast enough to build a system that can accommodate us, we’re going to build our own system."
  —Imani Moise, on fintech credit innovation (02:34)

• "The Cash App score is based on things like how much money you have in your Cash App account...it's a much narrower score, but...it could also integrate deposit level data."
  —Imani Moise, on Block’s approach (03:12)

• "The fastest growing kinds of consumer credit right now are happening outside the traditional credit scoring system."
  —Imani Moise (04:49)

• "A lot has changed...brands more willing to sell on Amazon...a lot of those online shopping habits have stuck around."
  —Sean McClain, on pandemic effects and luxury e-commerce (07:29)

• "There is something about the halo of Amazon's marketplace ... that makes people more likely to buy a brand they're unfamiliar with."
  —Sean McClain, on Amazon’s trust factor (09:39)

• "You still have to purchase a car from a physical dealership...you're still going to see the car and drive it off the lot from there."
  —Sean McClain, on car buying logistics (10:11)

• "Prime has been an amazing engine...building that loyalty and then offering everything to everybody, like clearly there’s a competition there."
  —Sean McClain, on Amazon vs. Walmart (11:10)

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Important Timestamps

• 01:23 — Katie Dayton introduces the Block credit score segment with Imani Moise.
• 02:13 — Explanation for Block’s move to launch its own credit scoring system.
• 03:06 — Comparison between Block’s and traditional credit scores.
• 04:01 — Discussion about implications for consumers and traditional banking.
• 04:49 — Importance of “thin file” consumers and alternative credit systems.
• 06:36 — Patrick Coffey and Sean McClain begin discussion on Amazon’s high-end sales strategy.
• 07:29 — Why luxury brands are now willing to list on Amazon.
• 08:52 — Significance and timing of Amazon’s move into big-ticket retail.
• 09:39 — Data on Amazon shoppers and the 'halo effect'.
• 10:07 — Questions about logistics of returning/picking up cars bought online.
• 10:41 — Discussion on Amazon vs. Walmart and the evolving online marketplace.

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Summary in Brief

• Fintech Evolution: Block is embracing transparency by launching an internal credit score based on its ecosystem, sidestepping traditional credit reporting disruptively.
• Retail Reinvention: Amazon is stretching the bounds of "the everything store" by enabling the purchase of cars and luxury goods, fueled by shifts in consumer comfort post-pandemic.
• Marketplace Tensions: The arms race between Amazon and Walmart intensifies, especially at the edges of traditional ecommerce boundaries.

This episode takes listeners inside the changing dynamics of how we borrow and buy, and how tech-driven convenience is upending old assumptions—even when it comes to your next car.

Transcript

[Outsystems Announcer]

Organizations all over the world, from banks to breweries, are creating custom apps and AI agents on the Outsystems platform. Because Outsystems is all about outcomes, helping teams deploy quickly and deliver results. Build your agentic future with Outsystems.

[Patrick Coffey]

Welcome to Tech News briefing. It's Tuesday, December 2, 2025. I'm Patrick Coffey for the Wall Street Journal. Do you know your credit score? No, I mean the other one. A popular fintech company is now planning to show customers how it rates them. We dive into what to know about the new score and yesterday was Cyber Monday when many of our listeners turned to Amazon for convenience shopping on essential gifts like a car. Yes, the Everything store hopes this will be the year that you drop a $50,000 family sedan into your cart right next to that monthly supply of floss picks. But first, fintech company Block exists outside of the traditional banking system. That's kind of the point. Now, however, the Jack Dorsey led company will let its customers access the internal data it uses to determine whether or not to approve loans. Jonah reporter Imani Moiz told our host Katy Dayton why the company decided to make this move towards something resembling transparency.

[Katie Dayton]

Imani, can you start by telling me a little bit about Blok? What is it and how might listeners have encountered it?

[Imani Moise]

So Block is the parent company behind a lot of fintech apps that people are probably familiar with like Cash App, which is a competitor to Venmo, but it's a little bit more than a payments company. So you can send peer to peer payments, but you can also buy Bitcoin or have a savings account. They also have a Cash App card that works just like a regular debit card. Block also owns afterpay. So if you're familiar with Buy Now Pay later companies like Affirm or Klarna. Afterpay works the same way.

[Katie Dayton]

So the company said that it will make its version of a credit score available to users. They'll be able to see that score it uses internally to decide whether or not to approve people for these small loans. Why are they making this change?

[Imani Moise]

This news really jumped out at me because Block really Afterpay and Cash App have been some of the loudest voices in the room against integration of these new fintech powered loans like Buy Now, Pay later into the mainstream credit reporting system. And that's really because they are afraid that their customers are going to be treated unfairly by this system that was designed to help people get much larger loans like maybe a mortgage or an auto loan. Launching their own Score is really an Extension of that in terms of their opposition to the traditional credit scoring industry, they're saying, well, if you guys aren't going to move fast enough to build a system that can accommodate us, we're going to build our own system. So it's really saying that they feel as a company they don't need to rely on the experience Equifax and fico's of the world.

[Katie Dayton]

How does Block say its model differs from a traditional credit score?

[Imani Moise]

Since it's built internally, it could only use internal data. Whereas a traditional credit score is based on things that appear in your credit report, which will be things like how much you carry on your credit cards or whether or not you make your mortgage payments on time. The Cash App score is based on things like how much money do you have in your cash App account, do you carry a balance and what is your track record with paying back cash app loans or block loans specifically. So it's a much narrower score, but it is unique in that it could also integrate deposit level data, AKA how much you actually have in the bank versus just your borrowing history.

[Katie Dayton]

And like you said before, the company doesn't share its consumer data with traditional credit reporting systems. But banks and credit unions have said it's getting harder to determine consumers risk as more lending is happening outside of that traditional system. So what are some of the implications of all of that for consumers?

[Imani Moise]

What banks have told me is that they are really skeptical of these small dollar loans because in a lot of traditional underwriters or loan officers view if you need a small dollar loan like say $100, that can be a potential red flag, that maybe you're not handling your personal household balance sheet properly, that you're really squeezed for that little amount of money. But for right now, it doesn't mean much for consumers because it's the status quo. So that means that you can continue to use these types of services and not have to worry about them appearing on their credit report. But what you should look out for is when they start appearing because banks look at them sideways and so will.

[Katie Dayton]

We might have a system eventually. Looking forward to the future if more of this happens where people have to manage multiple credit scores potentially because the.

[Imani Moise]

Fastest growing kinds of consumer credit right now are happening outside of the traditional credit scoring system. So that is things like buy now, pay later or these small dollar loans, earned wage access, things like that. But increasingly these types of loans are catering to an audience that aren't well served by the traditional credit reporting system anyway. They specialize in people with so called thin credit files, which means that maybe you haven't taken out a loan, like maybe you are just a young person or an immigrant that doesn't have an established credit history in this country. The Cash apps and Buy now pay laters of the world. They tend to cater to a lower income younger than our credit file consumer.

[Patrick Coffey]

That was WSJ personal economics reporter Imani Moise speaking to our colleague Katie Dayton. Have you used a non traditional lender like block before? If you're a listener on Spotify, be sure to let us know in this episode's poll or leave us a comment. Coming up, we're breaking down Amazon's plans to rev up sales. The latest allowing you to add cars to your cart. That's after the break.

[Outsystems Announcer]

So many organizations choose Outsystems because it's an outstanding way to quickly deploy apps and AI agents and deliver results. A top US bank deployed apps for their customers to easily open new accounts on any device. We helped a leading global insurer quickly deliver a portal and app for their employees, while a global brewer developed an app to automate tasks to clear Bottlenecks. OutSystems, the 1 AI powered low code platform.

[Patrick Coffey]

Amazon is betting big on big purchases. The e commerce giant has begun to work with more companies that sell high end merchandise like $25,000 pre loved watches and even automobiles. WSJ reporter Sean McClain writes that the question is no longer whether these companies will sell through Amazon, but ra rather who's buying. The answer so far is less than 1% of Amazon shoppers, but that still means millions of Americans are opting to make $10,000 plus purchases in the same place where they buy their USB cables. Sean, I think it's safe to say most shoppers don't hit Amazon to browse chanel handbags and SUVs. Why do these brands with these big ticket items sign on as sellers? Why are they convinced that people will eventually make these kinds of big purchases online?

[Sean McClain]

A lot has changed in the past couple years to make brands more willing to sell on Amazon. In particular a lot of them for as long as Amazon's been trying to get them on the platform, which is the better part of a decade, thought the same thing most people did is that we all shop on Amazon for our everyday essentials, our toothpaste, our toilet paper. Not for Hyundai cars and not for Rolex watches and not for Chanel handbags. However, a couple things happened during the pandemic when we were all locked inside. We didn't go to stores, we all shopped online and folks have been more comfortable buying online. And while we are all returning outside and going to stores, a lot of those online shopping habits have stuck around. And a lot of brands who worried about, you know, the cannibalistic potential nature of selling goods online or selling goods on third party platforms have learned that there is a way in which those sales can be additive, that there are new customers out there to be found.

[Patrick Coffey]

And to your point, E commerce or online shopping went from 9% of retail sales in 2018 to about 15.5% this year. So the growth is there. At the same time, there's been a lot of chatter and data about a return to brick and mortar shopping in the post pandemic period. A lot of companies say now that they over indexed on E commerce and they've stepped back a bit as more people shop in person. So why is Amazon doing this now?

[Sean McClain]

Amazon's been trying to do it for a while. What they're finding now is an increasing number of companies willing to do business with them and look like 15%. That's still 85% of the retail market. That's still in store. So yeah, everything is not going online. That much is clear. And certainly for something like a car, people still want to touch and feel it in person. If you're going to spend $40,000 plus on a car, you're not just going to press buy without thinking about it. It's pretty clear that this is not a meat and potatoes section of Amazon's business. This is the outer fringes of the everything store that are getting filled out. But that said, look, take Hyundai for example. Their own study shows that nine out of 10 people browsing, you know, the Amazon Auto section of the website, which is dominated by a lot of Hyundai cars right now are new to the brand and good. Half of them are buying a Hyundai for the first time. And there's even some early signals that people are more likely to buy a Hyundai because of the Amazon tie up. That there is something about the halo of Amazon's marketplace as a place of easy, reliable returns and easy delivery that makes people more likely to buy a brand they're unfamiliar with.

[Patrick Coffey]

You can't exactly take a new car to the UPS store to return it. So how will that work when you're.

[Sean McClain]

Talking specifically about cars? By virtue of the laws in the US you still have to purchase a car from a physical dealership, even through Amazon. So you go to pick up the car there, you fill out all your financial paperwork, but you're still going to see the car and drive it off the lot from there.

[Patrick Coffey]

Amazon's real advantage comes from its massive scale and the fact that customers can theoretically use it to buy anything. Can any other retailers truly compete? We have Walmart, of course. But do we think Amazon's domination of say like the online used car market is inevitable?

[Sean McClain]

That's the, I don't know at this point. The trillion dollar valuation question. Look, Amazon has a strong foothold in the e commerce market. Obviously the rise of AI has companies like Amazon and Walmart concerned about whether or not there can be a behemoth storefront, if that's the sort of thing that survives in a post agentic AI world. That said, look, there's a strong competition between particularly Amazon and Walmart right now to offer everything to everybody with fast and easy delivery. And there's a reason for that. Like clearly prime has been an amazing engine for a place like Walmart to get us to shop there more regularly. The same way we buy a Costco membership, because the access to the goods there makes sense. And so building that loyalty and then offering everything to everybody, like clearly there's a competition there and clearly Amazon feels the heat from the growth of like the Walmart plus program. Walmart's competition for membership and easy delivery. So clearly the companies think there's a fight going on and increasingly it's at the outer edges of the marketplaces. It's not how much toilet paper and cereal can you pack in there, it's can you deliver bananas in a couple hours and can you offer somebody high end luxury goods? Or now at Amazon cars.

[Patrick Coffey]

That was WSJ reporter Sean McClain. And that's it for Tech News Briefing. If you're a listener on Spotify, make sure to take this episode's poll or leave us a comment. Today's show was produced by Julie Chang. I'm your host Patrick Coffey. Our supervising producer is Katie Ferguson. We'll be back later this morning with TNB Tech Minute. Thanks for listening.

[Outsystems Announcer]

So many organizations choose Outsystems because it's an outstanding way to quickly deploy apps and AI agents and deliver results. A top US bank deployed apps for their customers to easily open new accounts on any device. We helped a leading global insurer quickly deliver a portal and app for their employees. While a global brewer developed an app to automate tasks to clear Bottlenecks. OutSystems, the 1 AI powered low code platform.