How CaterCombi helps catering businesses afford the equipment they need without the upfront cost

We spoke with Nova Pavel, Head of Digital at CaterCombi, about how they make refurbished commercial combi ovens even more affordable by giving customers the option to spread the cost with iwocaPay.

CaterCombi is the largest supplier of refurbished commercial combi ovens in the UK. They buy the combi ovens from a variety of sources, refurbish them in their workshop, and supply restaurants, schools, care homes and other catering businesses across the UK.

CaterCombi has offered iwocaPay since 2023, integrating it directly into their Shopify store. This gives trade customers the option to spread payments over 1, 3, or 12 monthly instalments when buying from CaterCombi. At the same time, CaterCombi gets paid in full instantly.

Customers can save up to 50% by buying refurbished, then spread the cost with iwocaPay, making essential equipment even more affordable

A commercial combi oven is one of the largest costs of fitting out a kitchen. Paying for it in full before opening day means a large expense at a time when the business isn’t generating income yet.

"Using iwocaPay takes the pressure off the customer financially, supporting their cashflow early so they can start generating income, without having to tie up the full amount upfront. For new businesses, it can be the difference between a strong start and a rocky one." – Nova Pavel, Head of Digital at CaterCombi

Buying a refurbished combi oven instead of a new one can cut the cost by about 50%. iwocaPay gives customers the option to spread the remaining cost. CaterCombi also offers interest-free terms, making it even more affordable.

Opening on time, without tying up cash before day one

Before iwocaPay, CaterCombi didn't offer terms of their own. A customer who wanted to spread the cost had to arrange their own finance separately, alongside everything else involved in opening a site.

In one example, a customer was opening a new location but didn’t have the cash flow to make the purchase that month. Paying with iwocaPay meant they could go ahead with the purchase, open on time, and choose a better model than the one they planned.

“Not only can customers buy refurbished, which already diminishes the cost by 50–60% sometimes, but they also have the option of spreading the cost over a short or long term, which helps make it more affordable.”

Customers are spending more with iwocaPay, with the total value of Pay Later orders up 80%

The total value of Pay Later orders has increased by 80% compared to the same period last year. That means more customers are choosing to spread the cost of bigger purchases rather than paying for everything upfront.

"We have seen an increase in average order value because customers know they can get a more advanced model or a bigger size, when they have a bigger budget to play with."

It's easier for CaterCombi's team too. Once a customer has checked out, everything that follows sits with iwocaPay: collecting instalments and carrying the risk if they don't pay. CaterCombi have already been paid the full amount by that point.

More than a third of customers who use iwocaPay make a repeat purchase

In the last 12 months, more than a third of the customers who used iwocaPay came back to make a repeat purchase. One reason for that is how easy it is to use. It’s a payment option that customers trust and keep coming back to.

For CaterCombi, that ease of use is part of the same promise as the refurbished oven itself: making an expensive, essential piece of equipment something that a smaller catering business can buy more easily.