In this country guide, Lengow gives you an outlook of the Swiss ecommerce market. Read about how to start selling online in Switzerland: ecommerce trends, popular product groups and the major opportunites that this market may offer your business.  Learn about the best practices to use!

1. EASILY SELL EVERYWHERE
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Switzerland
Ecommerce Outlook

2. A bright future
for the Swiss ecommerce market :
Ecommerce sales in Switzerland
(in billion euros)
SWITZERLAND HAS QUITE HIGH
INTERNET PENETRATION: 87%
(above the average European rate)
16.1% E-COMMERCE
GROWTH IN 2014
Ecommerce sales are expected to
reach 13,8 BILLION EUROS IN 2015
Online retail of goods represent
5,5% OF TOTAL RETAIL OF GOODS
Local currency is the Swiss Franc
NOT THE EURO
EASILY SELL EVERYWHERE
Switzerland Ecommerce Outlook
1. GERMANY
2. SWITZERLAND
3. AUSTRIA
4. POLAND
5. CZECH REPUBLIC
6. HUNGARY
7. SLOVAKIA
8. SLOVENIA
71,200
12,717
11,685
6,541
2,874
930
402
216
Ranking Central Europe in turnover (€ million)
SWITZERLAND
IS THE
BIGGEST ECOMMERCE
MARKET IN EUROPE
8th
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0

3. Overview of popular product groups
Online sales and growth rates
of popular groups in 2014
€989.4mn
€511.5mn
€501.7mn
€456.3mn
€439.1mn
€447.3mn
€351.3mn
Consumer
Electronics
Food / Nearfood /
Health
Information
Technology
Fashion :
Clothing
Books
Home & Garden
Media &
Entertainment
Household
Electronics
Shoes & Lifestyle
Toys
The most common online
payment method in Switzerland is
paying by invoice
followed by standard
credit card and PayPal.
2/3 of Swiss online
shoppers buy from
foreign websites.
Concerning cross-border,
merchants should particularly
reassure Swiss customers.
Unlike in many
other countries,
the food/
grocery
sector is
doing well
in Switzerland.
Sport
Others
€383.5mn
is the biggest online
store in Switzerland
€414.4 million euros
in sales in 2014
Other popular online stores
in Switzerland are
Major opportunities
€1,113.5mn
€605.1mn
€578.7mn
€539.3mn
€528.3mn
€527.8mn
€397mn
€446.3mn
€267.7mn
€232.4mn
€186.2mn
€160.1mn
€155.2mn
€142.9mn
€90.5mn
€81.9mn
+14.6%
+18.3%
+15.4%
+18.2%
+20.3%
+18%
+13%
+15.2%
+16.3%
+8.6%
+10.6%
+16.4%
2013
2014

4. How the Swiss shop online
6million
swiss
USE THE INTERNET AND
4.4million
SHOP ONLINE
ONLINE SWISS
SHOPPERS SPEND AN
ANNUAL AVERAGE OF
€1800(the fifth highest in Europe)
Local language
websites are preferred
€1800
French German
English Italian
Return rates are quite high
in Switzerland, like in Germany.
6 out of 10 Swiss online shoppers
buy from abroad because of the
relatively high prices in Switzerland.
When Swiss shoppers buy online cross-border,
they mainly make purchases from
Germany France US
Swiss shop online
to save
time
to compare
prices
to get their order
delivered at home
%%
Older people are a particularly
active category when
it comes to online shopping.
82% of Swiss people aged
more than 65 shop online
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