Client

Case study · 2026

When the product works, but the Gen Z customer can't reach it.

We walked the entire Global Payments customer journey through the eyes of a Gen Z micro-entrepreneur: from Google through the website and order to the terminal. We named where potential customers are lost and gave a concrete playbook on how to win them back.

Scope

Comprehensive customer-journey audit

Method

Mystery shopping, research, analysis

Output

A concrete playbook

customer-journey phases under the microscope: from search to terminal

research segments: quantitative and qualitative data

0 %

of recommendations backed by our own research among Gen Z

01·Context & challenge

Hidden customers the traditional sales motion can't see.

Global Payments has a working product and a strong global brand, but Gen Z micro-entrepreneurs barely reach its terminals. When we looked at that journey as a customer, we understood why.

Who is the client

Global Payments is a global fintech that in the Czech Republic offers payment terminals and online payment gateways for cafés, restaurants, e-shops, retailers and sole traders. Its portfolio ranges from a mobile terminal to a complete POS system.

Why this wasn't a routine project

Gen Z micro-entrepreneurs are a fast-growing segment: freelancers, creatives, small e-shops, cafés, brand owners. But they stand outside the traditional B2B sales motion fintech uses to target corporate clients. Global Payments needed:

Find them where they search

AI search, Google and social media are Gen Z's first touchpoints; classic sales channels are no longer enough.

Speak the way they speak

Corporate jargon and empty phrases put Gen Z off; it expects substance, transparency and clarity.

Offer a journey that doesn't deter

Website UX, forms, CTAs, onboarding emails: every step decides whether Gen Z finishes the order.

Build content they care about

It's not about corporate news and B2B partnerships: the Gen Z entrepreneur deals with cashflow, taxes, invoicing, growth.

Our brief

Walk the entire customer journey as a Gen Z micro-entrepreneur and name where Global Payments loses this segment. Complement the view with our own research among Gen Z and hand the client a concrete playbook with clear recommendations for each phase.

02·Our approach

Three steps from mystery shopping to a playbook.

We proceeded methodically. We walked the customer journey ourselves, complemented it with research among Gen Z micro-entrepreneurs, and only then wrote the recommendations.

Diagnosis

Mystery shopping of the entire customer journey as a Gen Z micro-entrepreneur: from googling through the website and form to the terminal in hand.

Research

Our own quantitative and qualitative research among Gen Z micro-entrepreneurs: what they really deal with when choosing a payment solution.

Audit & playbook

Naming the insights and concrete recommendations for each phase of the journey: a prioritised list of changes with a clear 'how' and 'why'.

What exactly we assessed

The audit covered four lenses that together give a complete picture of how a Gen Z micro-entrepreneur sees, searches, buys and evaluates the Global Payments brand.

Customer journey & UX

Eight phases from the first search through the website, form, order, support and terminal. Every step analysed in detail.

Social media

Where Global Payments communicates, what formats it uses, how the content resonates. What actually interests Gen Z there and what is missing.

Google reviews

Collecting and analysing online reviews: what specifically bothers customers about Global Payments, what they praise and where the recurring patterns are.

Competition

How SumUp, KB SmartPay, Dotykačka, Comgate and ČSOB communicate. Where they are stronger, where weaker and what that means for Global Payments.

03·Key findings

Four places where Gen Z gets lost.

From dozens of audit findings we pick four with the biggest business impact. Three decide whether Gen Z arrives at all, and one decides how it remembers the company after the first purchase.

01 · Search

Global Payments 'doesn't exist'

What we found

ChatGPT sees Global Payments only as a solution for large companies. Without paid ads, Google shows the company on the second page of results.

Why it hurts

Gen Z starts every search via ChatGPT and Google; if you're not there, you don't exist. The competition wins at the very first step.

Our recommendation

SEO and AI-search optimisation, a clear 'for micro-entrepreneurs' positioning, brand awareness on the platforms where Gen Z actually spends its time.

02 · Website

Hard to navigate

What we found

A blank redirect page, long texts without a price. It's not clearly said that the terminals are essentially free. The 'Get a quote' CTA triggers fear of a sales call.

Why it hurts

Gen Z leaves after a few seconds of disorientation. The competition (SumUp at 399 CZK) wins with simplicity and a transparent price.

Our recommendation

Shorten the copy, 'free' as the hero claim, a transparent price list, a clear CTA, an eligibility calculator for self-service.

03 · Order

An overwhelming flood of emails

What we found

After ordering, an excessive number of emails arrive (confirmation, login details, contract documents, guides, marketing) in quick succession, often duplicated.

Why it hurts

Gen Z expects a short, clear onboarding message. Email overload feels amateurish and generates frustration before the terminal is even first used.

Our recommendation

Consolidate into two or three structured emails, move the rest into a customer portal or in-app notifications.

04 · Social media

We talk about what Gen Z doesn't care about

What we found

Global Payments communicates corporate news, B2B partnerships and technical features. Gen Z micro-entrepreneurs deal with cashflow, taxes, invoicing and business growth.

Why it hurts

The content does not reach the target. Zero engagement, zero brand building, invisibility with a segment that could spread the brand organically.

Our recommendation

Content pillars aimed at the real worries of the Gen Z entrepreneur, educational content, use cases in short video formats.

04·Outputs & impact

What exactly Global Payments got in hand.

Our work didn't end with a presentation. The client left with five standalone outputs that its marketing, sales and UX teams can reuse repeatedly, not just for one campaign.

Mystery shopping report

A complete walk-through of the customer journey in eight phases: search, website, contact form, order, support, GP TOM, terminal and further tips. Each phase with findings and recommendations.

Competitive analysis

Who communicates in the segment and how: SumUp, KB SmartPay, Dotykačka, ČSOB, Comgate. Where each is strong, where it has weaknesses and what that means for Global Payments' positioning.

Research among Gen Z micro-entrepreneurs

Quantitative and qualitative data on what decides the choice of a payment solution, which brands they know, what they fear and what motivates them to buy.

Google reviews report

Collecting and analysing online reviews: what specifically bothers customers, where patterns repeat and which communication patterns would move the reviews for the better.

Playbook with concrete recommendations

For each phase of the customer journey, a prioritised list of changes with an estimate of impact and effort. Usable as a roadmap for marketing, UX and product teams.

Global Payments has a great product. We showed them where the obstacles between product and customer stand, ones no one inside the company can see anymore. Mystery shopping through Gen Z's eyes is one of the toughest mirrors a company can hold up to itself.
The GenZ Consulting team

05·Why GenZ Consulting

We do one thing. And we do it properly.

We specialise in Gen Z and connect it with consulting work for brands and HR teams. We work with our own research data, which we update regularly. Our recommendations never rest on feelings.

Data in the background

We back every recommendation with our own research among Gen Z. We work with current data about this generation, not estimates or trend reports from the internet.

Big picture and detail

We work at the strategic layer (brand positioning, segmentation, content pillars) and on individual wordings in copy and CTAs. Both in one team.

Gen Z native

Our recommendations come from direct knowledge of how Gen Z thinks and communicates. We don't have to study this generation; we're part of it.

Contact

Adam Daleckýadam.dalecky@genzconsulting.cz

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