Ten More with Peter Keith of Piper Sandler

In this followup interview with HNN contributor Mark Schumacher, the managing director and senior research analyst of the investment bank tells the industry what to look out for in 2026, including continued normalized demand despite a still sluggish housing market. With 2025 reaching the bottom of a three-year downturn in furniture and bedding, he believes a turnaround is imminent. “There is a lot of pent up demand…I think it sets up well for 2026 to see continued growth.” And while he doesn’t think 2026 will be a boom year for housing, he sees more opportunity for the market to improve, providing “more tailwinds to the furniture and mattress industries.” For this and more, click the video link.

The modern shopper expects flexible financing, and relying on a single solution means leaving sales on the table. That means having partners who specialize in different lending segments, from Synchrony for prime promotional offers, Fortiva for second-look financing and a wide range of payment options from American First Finance. Versatile’s technology is the unified platform that connects all these solutions, ensuring your teams can quickly get every customer to a “yes,” in-store or online.

Synchrony (NYSE: SYF) is a leading consumer financing company at the heart of American commerce and opportunity. From health to home, auto to retail, our Synchrony products have been serving the needs of people and businesses for nearly 100 years. We provide responsible access to credit and banking products to support healthier financial lives for tens of millions of people, enabling them to access the things that matter to them. Additionally, through our innovative products and experiences, we support the growth and operations of some of the country’s most respected brands, as well as more than 400,000 small and midsize businesses and health and wellness providers that Americans rely on. Synchrony is proud to be ranked as the country’s #2 Best Company to Work For® by Fortune magazine and Great Place to Work®. http://www.synchronybusiness.com/ 

Fortiva® Retail Credit is a technology-enabled second look point-of-sale consumer credit program issued by The Bank of Missouri. The omnichannel program leverages instant decisioning capabilities, deep underwriting analytics, and a paperless process platform to provide best-in-class retail finance solutions for its clients both in-store and online. This flexible technology platform provides a loan decision to consumers within seconds. Clients in markets such as furniture, big box/specialty retail, flooring, home improvement, HVAC, electronics, elective medical, health and fitness, home automation, and jewelry offer the Fortiva Retail Credit program for second look financing. The Fortiva® Retail Credit program is available throughout the United States, including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. For more information, please visit https://www.fortivaretailcredit.com.

American First Finance (AFF) is a leading point of sale “shop now, pay later” solutions provider across 26 verticals, including furniture, mattress, auto repair, tire & wheel, elective medical, and more.  Based in Dallas, TX, AFF’s mission is to provide financial solutions that help ordinary people meet their needs and pursue their dreams.  Learn more call 972.992.3560 or visit www.americanfirstfinance.com. 

For over two decades, Versatile has been a pioneer in the credit optimization space, helping merchants unlock the power of financing to drive sales and help customers get the products they want and need.
With Versatile, customers are seamlessly guided to offers from a full spectrum of lenders and providers and are matched with the offers that best meet their needs. This is possible because merchants can work with over 35 of the nation’s best prime, near-prime, and no-credit-needed providers to find the partners that work best for their business and customers. Our platform ensures every shopper can apply safely and comfortably, whether in-store or online from any device. versatilecredit.com