Technology has been accused of killing the human touch, but using it correctly can allow you to connect with your customers on a more personal level than ever before.

“In fact, the only way to make shopping more human again is by adding more technology, not less,” said Derek Wiggill, Zapper South Africa MD at the Cards &Payments Africa 2016 conference.

He explained that technology, such as mobile payment platforms, can allow you to not only gather data about your customers, but also allows you to build rapport with them and nudge them into action.

One way to do this is to engage in ‘sympathetic pricing,’ which are discounts that aim to relieve lifestyle pain points by offering a helping hand in difficult times.

“If you know your customer is a parent with kids at school, you might offer them discounts on uniforms or school supplies in January when money is tight,” Wiggill explained.

“This builds empathy between the consumer and the brand and forms a better relationship between you and your consumer, making people feel more like an individual and less like part of the masses.”

Wiggill argued that mobile payments are becoming a key way to engage with customers and provide them with better service.

“Mobile payments faster, and they offer you the opportunity to fast-lane clients and offer them one of the most valuable things you can – time.

“Consumers expect their favourite brands where they spend their money to reduce their on-site wait times, and this is going to be driven by mobile.”

Mobile payment apps also afford you the ability to to identify people as they walk into your store, allowing your staff to recognise frequent customers and offer them priority service.

He warns though that “You have a responsibility to protect the data that you get from your customers. Don’t give anyone else your client’s data, as this will damage your brand.”

He also advises against mass marketing things to customers that they don’t want and is not relative to them, as this causes people to switch off.

“Don’t tell me about a sale on baby food when I don’t have a baby, and may not even have ever been to your store. If people are too over-communicated with, they will check out of your brand,” he said.

Trust and privacy are key issues surrounding payments – if customers don’t feel safe or see enough value in what you are offering, they will be impossible to engage.