New Synchrony Learning Center Expands to Serve Hundreds of Thousands of Small Businesses and Healthcare Providers

A Free Suite of Specialized Courses, Tools and Tips Help Merchants, Dealers and Wellness Providers Increase their Knowledge and Help Grow Their Businesses

Company Provides Small Business Owners with Robust Content on Credit and Financing, Compliance, Sales and Marketing, Business Best Practices and Cybersecurity

STAMFORD, Conn., Nov. 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Synchrony (NYSE: SYF), a leading consumer financing company, today announced the launch of the Synchrony Small Business Learning Center, a new digital learning platform designed to help Synchrony's small business partners operate and grow their businesses more efficiently and effectively. The platform will help Synchrony small merchants, dealers, and wellness providers learn how credit and financing works, incorporate it into their business model, leverage it to enhance customer experiences, and help drive sales.

The Small Business Learning Center will offer:

• Dozens of industry-specific courses, videos, games, interactive experiences, and other contemporary learning modalities help small business owners and their teams learn in their preferred way, at their own pace.
• Topics including sales techniques, compliance, motivating employees, cash flow, vendor management, and customer service.
• Content created by Synchrony learning experts, utilizing the expertise of Synchrony professionals and leaders. New content, courses and tools are added and refreshed regularly, to keep learning interesting and engaging. Synchrony regularly partners with top learning technology companies to ensure Synchrony small businesses can experience the newest learning tools available.
• User-friendly dashboard displays priority content, as well as curated content recommendations.
• A new countdown clock feature, specifically for merchants and dealers, provide a visual reminder of when priority or required courses are due.
• Simple links to a full content library, letting learners see all courses available, and choose their topics and their pace to complete them.

Additionally, small merchants and dealers can access the Learning Center via Business Center, Synchrony's powerful online business platform. All Synchrony partner financing activities, from processing applications to transacting sales, and access to Learning Center, are now consolidated into a single location, helping merchants save time. Synchrony health and wellness partners will continue to access Learning Center via Provider Center.

Building on Synchrony's Long Commitment to Small Businesses

Small businesses play a critical role in the economy and face unique challenges. According to the Small Business Association (SBA), businesses of 500 employees or fewer make up 99.9 percent of all U.S. businesses and 99.7 percent of firms with paid employees, equating to 61.7 million workers. Small business workers contribute 43.5 percent of the gross domestic product in the U.S. annually.

Synchrony's Learning Center builds on the company's many innovative, turnkey business tools that help enable hundreds of thousands of small businesses to manage, market and grow their businesses, including:

• Financing programs that include a straightforward application process, strong approval rates and loyalty programs.
• Digital tools, including an online credit application and prequalification tool can help merchants and providers save time, and drive increased customer and patient privacy, engagement and satisfaction.
• Advertising Center, a digital platform to help small businesses create advertising and marketing assets, as well as Synchrony-funded, customized point-of-purchase signage,  consumer financing advertising and personalized point-of-purchase signage to attract new customers.
• Synchrony Business Solutions, an end-to-end, subscription-based platform that gives businesses direct access to a personalized suite of enterprise-level tools and services designed to help run the business more effectively. Partners can see insights such as how customers browse online, read and respond to customer feedback from across the web, and understand how macroeconomic trends like inflation could affect the business at national or state level.
• Synchrony's Pillars Project, a small business grant program that honors entrepreneurial retail owners and health and wellness providers who have risen above challenges in times of change. The company awards each winner $10,000 and consulting services from Synchrony experts to expand the digital transformation of their business.
• Synchrony Connect to help small businesses learn from Synchrony experts and successful peers via webinars, unique events, one-on-one consulting opportunities, marketing, and operational leadership expertise.
• Business Schooled podcast series that features small businesses across the country that faced unexpected challenges and how they adapted to survive and thrive.
• Roadmap to Diversity Toolkit to provide small businesses with insights to incorporate diversity best practices into their businesses.

Small businesses throughout the United States are already seeing success from Synchrony's assets. For example, Day's Jewelers, an employee-owned company with locations in Maine and New Hampshire, leverages the Learning Center. "Our business has flourished, thanks to the invaluable partnership we share with Synchrony," said Liz Mahoney, VP of Store Operations, Day's Jewelers. "Our financing program, complemented by Synchrony's ongoing support via a host of tools and services, has been a cornerstone to our success."

"Synchrony understands the challenges that our small business partners faced during the pandemic and beyond," said Curtis Howse, Executive Vice President & CEO, Synchrony Home & Auto. "Our new Small Business Learning Center is a timely resource, providing essential knowledge that empowers small businesses to thrive. This platform speeds the learning process and equips users with the skills necessary to succeed in today's competitive market while at the same time simplifying their access to Synchrony's financing options."

Synchrony has provided financing options to retailers for more than 90 years. With more than 460,000 merchant and provider locations and 70 million active accounts, Synchrony's shopping and payment innovations enable businesses to improve their sales and maintain customer loyalty while providing shoppers with secure, convenient, and personalized shopping experiences.

About Synchrony
Synchrony (NYSE: SYF) is a premier consumer financial services company delivering one of the industry's most complete digitally enabled product suites. Our experience, expertise and scale encompass a broad spectrum of industries including digital, health and wellness, retail, telecommunications, home, auto, outdoor, pet and more. We have an established and diverse group of national and regional retailers, local merchants, manufacturers, buying groups, industry associations and healthcare service providers, which we refer to as our "partners." We connect our partners and consumers through our dynamic financial ecosystem and provide them with a diverse set of financing solutions and innovative digital capabilities to address their specific needs and deliver seamless, omnichannel experiences. We offer the right financing products to customers in their channel of choice. For more information, visit www.synchrony.com.

Media Contact:
Lauren Devilbiss
Synchrony
[email protected]
240-814-5825

SOURCE Synchrony