Key Takeaways
- Companies are using adaptive credit models and large-scale data to help consumers improve financial outcomes.
- The credit-scoring market is growing at 25.9% annually through 2031, as more companies shift toward experience-driven innovation.
- Leaders like Marcus Beisel COO of Credit Sesame, emphasize combining empathy and strategy to align innovation with both consumer needs and business results.
The credit industry is undergoing a major shift. Traditional approaches to credit assessment are being replaced by more adaptive systems that respond to real consumer behavior.
Between 2024 and 2031, the credit scoring market is expected to grow at a rate of 25.9% annually, according to InsightAce Analytic — signaling growing demand for smarter, more effective tools.
As the space evolves, companies are finding new ways to deliver better outcomes for consumers while driving business growth.
One example is Credit Sesame, where COO Marcus Beisel has focused on building solutions that not only help users understand their credit, but also take meaningful steps to improve it.
In a conversation with DesignRush, Beisel shared how understanding customer needs — and acting on them with empathy and precision — has helped the company retain 88% of its users and support measurable credit score improvements for the majority of members within just 90 days.
Who is Marcus Beisel?
Marcus Beisel is the COO and CPO at Credit Sesame, the leading personal finance company offering free access to credit scores. With extensive experience in fintech and financial services, he’s known for transforming the credit industry to focus on consumer and financial health. Before joining Credit Sesame, Marcus was SVP at LendingClub, CIO for Intuit’s Consumer Group, and SVP of Strategy at Wells Fargo’s Consumer Credit Group.
Proactive Action Empowers Consumers
Many fintech platforms are turning to large-scale data systems to better understand and serve their users. By interpreting consumer credit behavior, these systems help companies anticipate user needs and recommend the next best step.
One example comes from Credit Sesame, which uses over 7 trillion data points to support more than 250 million predictions daily.
“Credit Sesame has always been forward-thinking when gathering and distilling data. We [do this to] discern the best possible experiences, outcomes, and suitable products for our customers,” Marcus explains.
Rather than just reacting to financial challenges, Marcus focuses on building a framework that informs consumers, allowing them to make impactful decisions about their credit.
These range from analyzing customers’ credit data to ensuring the appropriate steps to improve access to capital — and place the right product solutions in front of them.
“We call that ‘credit in context,’ ensuring that uniquely personalized context is in their best interest is our north star… 100% of our customers are impacted by AI every day,” Marcus says.
The goal is simple: to empower consumers by shifting credit from a transactional tool to a long-term financial ally.
Business Growth with a Consumer-Centric Approach
The key to driving business growth lies in delivering value that aligns with the customer’s needs, Marcus explains.
By solving real problems for users, success follows naturally.
As COO and CPO of Credit Sesame, Marcus defines three key steps businesses can take to ensure their platforms serve strategic and operational goals:
- Check whether offered services create real value for consumers and stand out from competitor offerings.
- Utilize that unique selling point, along with the protective advantages from patents/data, to achieve business outcomes through a well-structured and efficient process.
- Keep innovating and monitoring daily to build upon a lasting competitive edge.
“Net/net, if you provide objectively great experiences and value, you’ll naturally earn your customer’s business,” Marcus says.
The takeaway? Businesses can build trust and loyalty by creating real, lasting value for customers.
Marcus’ focus on combining operational excellence with product innovation is the key to building product strategies that align with user and business needs — and the results are clear.
Consumer Value and Business Growth Through Innovation
Partnerships between credit platforms and major bureaus are changing the industry, as companies work to bring more accessible tools directly to consumers.
For instance, Credit Sesame recently teamed up with TransUnion to launch a freemium direct-to-consumer credit education and monitoring service. This kind of mission-driven approach is becoming more common in fintech, where companies are reframing financial tools as long-term allies for consumers.
While Credit Sesame won’t share platform-specific performance results, Marcus highlights its unique advantage in the market:
“It really speaks to what we’ve set out to accomplish in establishing the next generation of the category,” Marcus says.
“Our unique advantage in the market is bringing our decade-plus in-industry business performance to the SaaS world via a full-stack offering with a proven financial track record (in our Credit Sesame instance).”
Credit Sesame has helped 61% of its members improve their credit scores within 90 days, with some seeing increases of 50 to 100 points. Plus, it’s managed to achieve an 88% annual user base retention rate.
This boost in credit health creates a productive cycle. As customers’ financial well-being improves, the platform’s overall performance grows to also benefit partners.
“We knew from the beginning that our ability to augment our partners’ businesses on day one, rather than putting the burden on them to integrate and monetize credit management, would be an industry-defining value proposition,” Marcus shares.
A key appealing aspect of the Credit Sesame platform is its ease of customization. The design engine quickly adapts the look and feel to match a partner’s brand and visual identity.
On top of that, the platform’s modular design allows partners to integrate their existing products and workflows.
“Not only will this drive monthly engagement via the award-winning UX, but it will also drive ARPU in an accretive way to their existing core business,” Marcus explains.
Why Customer-Centered Innovation Is Key
Credit Sesame’s experience in gamification and behavioral economics makes the platform even more valuable.
Instead of putting the work on partners to integrate and monetize credit management, it adds value from day one — driving engagement and growth with little effort on their end.
For Marcus, innovation starts with empathy — recognizing the challenges people face with credit. That understanding drives his mission to improve financial experiences.
“When you really listen to customer problems you can’t help but feel empathy and a desire to help. Americans struggle with credit. Credit can be a black box, it’s not clear what steps to take, and access to capital is increasingly difficult and expensive.
The industry needed to do better and innovate for objectively great customer outcomes to not only address their day-to-day needs but also build for a better financial future. It’s our reason for being…it’s why Sesame exists,” he adds.
For decision-makers, the message is simple: success isn’t about chasing the latest technology.
It’s about solving real customer needs.
About Credit Sesame
Credit Sesame is a leading financial wellness platform dedicated to helping consumers achieve better financial health through cutting-edge technology and data-driven solutions. With a decade of credit expertise and a proven track record of serving over 18 million users, Credit Sesame leverages AI and advanced analytics to empower individuals to improve their credit scores, enhance approval odds, and reduce credit costs.
The recently launched Sesame Platform extends this mission by providing financial institutions with a turnkey AI-powered credit intelligence solution. It enables businesses to offer personalized credit and financial wellness experiences, driving deeper customer engagement and growth.
Backed by leading institutional and strategic investors, Credit Sesame operates across the U.S. For more information, visit www.creditsesame.com and follow on Instagram, Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.
