The Evolution of Payments in South Africa

Smartphone payments

The early 2000s were a heady time in South Africa. Smartphones entered the chat, and then took over our daily lives. South Africans made the swing from Blackberry devices to app-driven smartphones. It soon became apparent that South Africans needed more than just to swipe and type. It was time for mobile payments to enter the ring.

Mobile payments in South Africa

The rush to enable mobile payments for consumers was on, with smartphone app developers racing to get their apps to market. Traditional financial institutions tried their best to integrate their operations into mobile applications. Only one bank, however, managed to launch a mobile banking app to market in 2011. In the same year, however, the true Pioneer in Payments launched, ushering in a new era for mobile payments in South Africa: Zapper. Zapper was founded with one simple vision: to become the leading payment partner for Merchants across South Africa. Zapper sought to empower merchants and grow their businesses. Zapper began to give merchants data-driven insights, highlighting customer payment behaviour and product interest. And, best of all? Zapper was simple to use, with a seamless, engaging, and industry-leading mobile payment experience. 

Get paid in a Zap

Zapper integrated QR-code technologies into a consumer-facing mobile application. Zapper hit the streets and South Africa’s smartphones in 2013. This gave South African shoppers their first chance to simply scan and pay, rather than swipe, type, or remember to carry cash wherever they went. Making mobile payments safe, simple, and easy to use, the word of Zapper quickly spread. Nowadays, with more than 30 million transactions processed, and boasting nearly 2 million downloads, it’s easy to see. South African shoppers love wherever they see the Z.