Accelerate your business with Payshap: embracing instant payments and cost efficiency
August 15, 2025
Black Friday 2025 in South Africa: Trends, Stats & Payment Tips
August 22, 2025Imagine using a payment method that doubles as a loyalty-building tool? Zapper is the right solution to make transactions seamless and reward both businesses and customers.
South African merchants can benefit from an already trusted local payment platform, familiar to millions of customers. Beyond fast and secure payments, Zapper is a loyalty-building tool that helps businesses grow without incurring hefty costs, hiring extra staff, or investing in hardware.
Today’s article is all about getting to know Zapper and using it to skyrocket customer growth, drive loyalty, and satisfaction. If you’re a start-up or running a small business reliant on repeat customers, then adding Zapper as a new payment method might be one of the best moves yet to unlock a bigger customer base.Choosing the right payment method can significantly impact your business's cash flow and client experience in today's fast-paced climate. From electronic fund transfers to instant payments through PayShap and RTCs, understanding the differences, uses, and fees attached to primary payment methods helps you choose the best options for your business.
South Africa is fully embracing the future of digital payments, so keeping up to date with payment methods is imperative. Ready to discover which payment solution best fits your business and how you can streamline your operations? Let’s dive into the details that could change how you handle your money.
Don't know where to start when choosing the right payment methods for your business?
Speak to our Payments Advisors, we'll know what to do.
What is Zapper?
Zapper is one of South Africa’s most widely recognised mobile payment solutions. It allows customers to quickly scan a QR code to complete purchases, whether they’re shopping online, dining out, or paying for services.
As a digital wallet option available through Netcash’s payment gateway, Zapper offers customers a fast, secure, and familiar way to pay with no cards or cash required.
What exactly is Zapper? It’s a mobile payment app in South Africa that can be used for:
- Scanning QR codes to complete payments at shops, restaurants, and online.
- Earning loyalty rewards and vouchers.
- Storing cards securely.
- Payments without handling cards or cash directly.
Zapper has been processing payments for over a decade, aiming to use payment data to target new customers in your area and keep the existing ones. It’s payments plus marketing, sending reminders, vouchers, and even rewarding customers for their loyalty.
If you’re running an eCommerce businesses, offering Zapper via Netcash means that online payments are handled swiftly, and your store can accept QR payments amongst a variety of other payment methods.
It’s an affordable and straightforward solution for anyone looking to scale and expand their customer base using this innovative payment solution.
Who is Zapper best for?
Zapper is ideal for customer-facing businesses that want to provide fast, secure, easy, and mobile-friendly payment experiences. If you have tech-savvy customers who prefer to avoid dealing with cards or cash, then Zapper is your go-to option, as all you need is your smartphone and internet access.
Zapper is ideal for your business if you are:
- A small to medium-sized retail store. These can range from clothing boutiques to health shops, convenience stores, and even gift shops.
- An informal restaurant or cafe. Being able to set up quick and contactless payments on tables and counters around your eatery can enhance the customer experience. Think of places like takeaways, casual dining spots, and coffee shops where people want to grab a quick bite.
- Salons and other beauty services. You can start accepting payments without needing traditional card machines. Most beauty treatments require time, so offering a swift payment option can be beneficial for clients who are time-strapped. These include hair salons, wellness spas, nail bars, and barbers.
- Ecommerce stores and online merchants. Zapper offers seamless checkouts for both mobile and desktop purchases if you sell digital or physical goods online.
- Service providers and freelance workers. Consultants, home service providers, tutors, and fitness trainers can now use Zapper’s QR codes or payment links to get paid easily.
- Hospitality and tourism businesses. Merchants running a B&B, guesthouses, or tour operations can offer guests the option to pay without using international cards or cash.
- Informal traders. If you operate a market stall as a craft seller, food vendor or anything else, setting up a QR code payment at your stall can be affordable and safer to use than cash.
Why Zapper matters to your customers
Many South Africans already use Zapper on a regular basis. From Pick n Pay to local coffee shops, the Zapper QR code has become a trusted part of the shopping experience. By offering Zapper as a payment method via Netcash, your business can:
- Reduce checkout friction.
- Tap into customers’ preferred payment habits.
- Offer a secure, no-contact payment option.
- Instantly build trust through brand familiarity.
Why consumers prefer Zapper
Zapper makes payments simple for customers. With one scan, they can:
- Pay instantly without entering card details
- Skip queues or contact with cash/cards
- Earn rewards (if they use the Zapper app independently)
- Feel secure with encrypted and certified payment processes
When customers are happy with how easy it is to pay, they’re more likely to return.
Why merchants should choose Zapper
The other important question to ask is, “What can merchants gain from offering Zapper (via Netcash)?”
As a Netcash merchant, you don’t need a separate Zapper account to offer it as a payment option. It’s already integrated as part of our digital wallet selection on the Netcash payment gateway.
First, determine if Zapper is the right fit for you and your business needs. Luckily, Zapper has such a broad appeal that it can be an asset to any type of business, whether small or big. Anyone asking customers to pay online for goods and services can benefit from this payment option.
These industries rely heavily on loyal, repeat customers, a challenge that Zapper can help to overcome. Need more convincing if Zapper is for you?
Here’s what your business gains:
- Increased conversions from mobile-savvy and Zapper-loyal shoppers
- Reduced cart abandonment thanks to a faster, more familiar payment process
- No need to manage multiple vendors. Zapper is included in your existing Netcash setup
- Support for secure, QR-code payments without extra hardware
Zapper can reduce or replace POS systems
Your business no longer needs to rely on traditional POS (Point-of-Sale) systems. Using Zapper via our digital wallet offerings, you can enable mobile, QR-based, and online payments. And this is done without any bulky hardware or costly terminals.
Instead, your customers can now simply scan a Zapper QR code to pay with their smartphones, replacing the need to insert, swipe or tap card terminals. If you’re a service provider or remote, you can opt to send payment links via email, SMS, or WhatsApp.
Additionally, Netcash Scan to Pay (also known as QR instead of POS, like Zapper) integrates with Zapper, allowing customers to scan the Netcash code using their Zapper app and pay easily. Or customers could use their phone camera to scan, and access the gateway to pay any other way they prefer.
Then, for online store owners, Zapper, via Netcash, integrates easily into your website checkout. This means no need for expensive POS hardware, software licensing, and maintenance fees, allowing you to save on upfront costs and reduce reliance on in-store infrastructure.
Does Zapper sound like a payment method that would suit your business?
Speak to one of our Payments Advisors to learn more.
How does Zapper work to boost loyalty and enhance customer experience?
While Netcash doesn’t offer the full suite of Zapper’s native features like loyalty programs or in-app marketing, offering this integration can still reward merchants indirectly by improving the customer experience and encouraging repeat business.
Let’s have a look at how Zapper payments can reward both your business and customers:
1. Boosts customer satisfaction
Since Zapper is contactless, quick, and easy to use, it leaves many customers happy. This minimalist approach satisfies on-the-go or time-conscious shoppers who appreciate a familiar and hassle-free way to pay.
2. Increased repeat customers
With many potential customers already using Zapper, they’ll likely return to your store knowing that they can pay for things the way they prefer.
3. Helps create positive brand associations
Providing a secure and trusted payment method, such as Zapper, reflects well on your brand and adds to your credibility as a reliable and professional merchant.
4. Improved mobile checkout experiences for customers
If you run an online store, you’d want to offer consumers a smooth checkout flow. Zapper can guarantee this and help increase conversions as a result.
5. Customer feedback
It’s no secret that positive customer feedback is like gold for businesses. Zapper is already convenient and successfully used among shoppers in South Africa. So, chances are they’ll leave more positive feedback and reviews since the checkout and payment process forms such a significant part of the overall purchasing experience.
6. Smarter customer journeys
What’s the one thing that’ll leave you with abandoned carts and unhappy customers? An overly complicated and dragged-out checkout process. By offering Zapper, customers can enjoy a smooth and efficient checkout experience from browsing to payment. This leads to smiling customers and increased repeat business.
7. Efficiency and loyalty
Since Zapper helps with faster checkouts and simplified payments, you and your staff will have more free time to focus on customer service. Excellent customer service is the bread and butter of any business, which is why fostering stronger relationships is so essential. In return, you’ll be rewarded with loyalty and (you’ve guessed it) repeat business.
8. Appeals to mobile-first customers
Since much of today’s online shopping occurs through mobile devices, appealing to mobile-first users is key to expanding your customer base. Many tech-savvy and mobile-first users are drawn to businesses that support QR payments, as it shows them you’re keeping up with their needs.
9. Real-time reporting via the Netcash dashboard
You can track Zapper transactions, issue refunds, and reconcile payments via the Netcash unified dashboard. This will also remove the need for a physical POS till or interface.
How does Zapper benefit the South African market?
Zapper is already a trusted and recognisable brand in South Africa’s digital payments landscape. This familiarity makes it easy to build trust and encourage adoption, eliminating the need to educate consumers on how it works.
Many consumers are aware of or have experience with scanning the iconic blue QR code at stores, restaurants, salons, and other service providers. This customer confidence presents a strong opportunity for businesses to deepen engagement.
With over a decade in the South African market, consumers already associate Zapper with convenience and security. It also appeals to merchants across various sectors. From informal vendors to medium-sized retailers, Zapper has proven to be scalable.
Here’s how Zapper can benefit local businesses:
- Instant brand trust – Zapper is widely recognised and trusted by South African consumers.
- Frictionless checkouts – Customers can scan and pay quickly using their smartphones, resulting in reduced drop-offs.
- Mobile-first convenience – Ideal for mobile shoppers who prefer contactless, card-free payments.
- Increased conversion rates – Familiar payment options improve the likelihood of completed purchases.
- No extra setup – Zapper is already integrated into Netcash’s payment gateway, so there’s no need for a separate Zapper account.
- Supports online & QR code payments – Flexibility for eCommerce stores, service providers, and in-person retailers.
- Secure and compliant – Encrypted transactions with PCI-DSS and 3D Secure protections.
- Stay competitive – Keep up with major brands already offering Zapper as a payment option.
- Appeals to loyal Zapper users – Many customers actively look for Zapper as their go-to payment method.
- One-stop reconciliation – All transactions, including Zapper, are managed through your Netcash dashboard.
Frequently Asked Questions
Final word on Zapper as an essential growth tool
By offering Zapper through Netcash, you're giving your customers a fast, secure, and trusted way to pay. That’s a powerful way to drive repeat business and customer satisfaction.
Zapper is just one of the many payment methods supported by Netcash’s flexible gateway, allowing you to offer more choice without the need to manage separate platforms.
Ultimately, your customers benefit from quicker checkouts and seamless experiences, especially when shopping on mobile. This alone can increase the number of return customers because paying for your services and products is hassle-free and fast.
If you’re a Netcash client, you can contact us about adding Zapper to your online payment options and start growing your customer base with an already proven and trusted payment solution.
Need more information about the Netcash Payment Gateway?
Speak to a Payments Advisor today and see how we can help you with your online venture.
Author:
Candice Sergeant
Product Manager
Stay in Touch
Candice Sergeant is a digital dynamo at Netcash, where she’s on a mission to help South African businesses level up their online game. As an eCommerce Product Owner, she’s got her finger on the pulse of the latest trends and technologies, constantly seeking out ways to boost sales and streamline operations. With a knack for spotting opportunities and a passion for innovation, Candice is your go-to guide for taking your e-commerce business to the next level.
