Kasia Davies
Research expert covering the German market
E-commerce in Switzerland - statistics & facts
One of the revolutions that came with e-commerce was being able to buy products from almost anywhere in the world with just the click of a few buttons. However, the rates of cross border commerce in Switzerland are comparatively low at just 15 percent. Considering that Switzerland is a relatively small country, their self-sufficiency when it comes to the range of products and services offered by online shops demonstrates how well-established the market is.
The strong presence of national e-commerce companies in Switzerland highlights a thriving online economy. More diversity and competition in the online retail market is ultimately most beneficial to the consumer. Looking ahead, the future of this sector is promising, as online consumption shows no signs of slowing down and companies will have to continue to adapt to evolving customer needs to continue their success.
Top online stores
Since cross border commerce is not hugely popular in Switzerland, it means that when shopping online, people are using domestic websites. Three out of the top five e-commerce websites in Switzerland were in fact companies that were founded in Switzerland. They were Digitec, Galaxus, and Brack. The first two are electronics companies and the third is a marketplace where people can buy items such as DIY equipment, household appliances, and even food products. Among Swiss consumers, global giant Amazon only ranked seventh, even though it is the most visited e-commerce website in the world. Often for smaller companies that only operate in one country, it can be difficult to compete with global players such as Amazon, who are not only well-known, but also have the resources to offer an enormous selection of products at varying prices.Online shopping habits
Although cross border commerce is not used by many online shoppers in Switzerland, when they do shop online, the most popular countries to make purchases from were Germany, China, and France. Like consumers everywhere, they have demands from their online shopping experience. For example, almost 90 percent of e-commerce users said that an easy payment process was an important part of their experience. Other factors that contributed to a good online shopping journey were free delivery and good customer service. Furthermore, although the most common part of online shopping is making a purchase, other services are also often provided. These services can include, using a store locator, buying an item online and then picking it up in-store, and checking if a product is available in a specific store. The latter of these services was the most used feature offered by e-commerce websites.The strong presence of national e-commerce companies in Switzerland highlights a thriving online economy. More diversity and competition in the online retail market is ultimately most beneficial to the consumer. Looking ahead, the future of this sector is promising, as online consumption shows no signs of slowing down and companies will have to continue to adapt to evolving customer needs to continue their success.
