Online shopping Switzerland: these are the top sellers
Online shopping is booming. Read on to find out which Swiss e-commerce retailers have the biggest bottom lines, and how the pandemic has shaped Swiss consumers' behaviour.
30.08.2022
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1. These are the top-selling online shops in Switzerland
Every year, Carpathia, a consulting firm, compares the turnover of Swiss online retailers (link not available in English). Zalando is now top dog with 1.43 billion francs in sales in Switzerland. The Swiss electronics retailer Digitec and the American online giant Amazon rank second and third respectively.
You can find more information on the top 10 Swiss online shops in our overview:
2. Top online retailers ranked by revenue
Sales in Switzerland 2021: CHF 1.43 billion*
Product range: fashion and cosmetics
Delivery time: 48 hours
Awards: Digital Commerce Award 2022
2021 sales: CHF 1.187 billion*
Product range: electronics
Delivery time: next day (depending on the time of order)
Awards: Swiss E-Commerce Award 2020 in the category Electronics & Media
Sales in Switzerland 2021: CHF 840 million*
Product range: wide selection
Delivery time: varies, at least 1-3 working days
2021 sales: CHF 735 million*
Product range: wide selection
Delivery time: next day (depending on the time of order)
Awards: Swiss E-Commerce Award 2021 in the categories Lifestyle & Hobby as well as Marketplaces & Platforms
2021 sales: CHF 520 million*
Product range: wide selection
Delivery time: next day (depending on the time of order)
Awards: Best Customer Service 2022 (PCtipp)
Sales in Switzerland 2021: CHF 840 million*
Product range: coffee capsules and coffee machines, accessories
Delivery time: 2 working days with DHL
Awards: Sustainability Award 2021 from World Finance Magazine
Sales in Switzerland 2021: CHF 375 million*
Product range: wide selection
Delivery time: at least 2 to 4 weeks
2021 sales: CHF 358 million
Product range: wide selection
Delivery time: 1-2 working days after receipt of payment
Awards: Best Customer Service 2022 (PCtipp)
2021 sales: CHF 330 million
Product selection: food
Delivery time: next day (depending on the time of order)
Awards: Best of Swiss Web Award 2022 for Sustainability Communication (2nd place)
Sales in Switzerland 2021: CHF 295 million* (until 30.9)
Product range: furniture
Delivery time: 2 days to several weeks (depending on the product) Awards: several design awards
The following is based on information provided by the company or estimates (marked with a *). It refers to net revenue in CHF millions for the 2021 financial year, adjusted for returns and cancellations.
3. Facts about online shopping behaviour in Switzerland
The pandemic has changed the online-shopping habits of Swiss people. According to Carpathia, the top 30 B2C shops grew by an average of 40% compared to the pre-COVID year 2019.
A Comparis study from February 2022 shows that older people are increasingly ordering online. “The pandemic in particular has contributed to this shift,” says Michael Kuhn, consumer finance expert at Comparis. The proportion of online shoppers with both foreign passports and German-speaking Swiss people has also increased.
Older people are flocking to the internet
The pandemic has changed the age structure of online shoppers. The older generation in particular is hopping on the digital bandwagon. Thus, the proportion of 55 to 65 year-olds grew from 14.1% to 15.1%. The share of people of retirement age (aged 65 and over) shopping online also rose from 13.3% to 14.1% during the pandemic.
Proportion of German-Swiss and foreigners growing
Foreigners were among the demographics that shopped online more frequently during the pandemic. Their share was 23% in the second half of 2021, up from 21% pre-pandemic. Similarly, more Swiss Germans took to the web for their shopping. Their share of all online purchases increased from 74% to 79%.
Women are the biggest online shoppers
Women shop more than men: the proportion of women on the web went up from 55.1% to 56.1% during the first lockdown. “Due to non-essential shops closing, fear of contagion and mobility restrictions, many staple goods such as food were purchased online. The majority of the shoppers were women," says Comparis expert Michael Kuhn.
This article was first published on 27.07.2018
