Swiss online shoppers seek confidence in a seller’s reputation when shopping abroad

Swiss consumers are mostly buying fashion items, print media and books, and consumer electronics. Our report further highlights that:

 

• Swiss online shoppers typically order once per month abroad and spend between CHF 26 and CHF 50 per purchase. Swiss French consumers are shopping more frequently than Swiss Germans,

• the main countries to buy from are Germany, China and France. The foreign online shops of choice are Amazon and Zalando;

• Swiss consumers mainly seek to find better deals and access broader assortments as the 2 main drivers for international purchases.

 

Swiss consumers expressed long shipping periods and the payment of additional fees such as VAT and customs duties when receiving the product as the main barriers for buying abroad.

 

When thinking about identifying a safe source to buy from, Swiss consumers mainly focus on ‘big names’ as brand reputation and website prominence are seen as key indicators for establishing trust.

 

The data presented in this report highlights the reasons why Swiss consumers shop online on foreign sites. With this information, Netcomm Suisse aims to support Swiss online merchants and Swiss eRetailers to build up a strong value proposition translating into a competitive advantage for local players.

 

Cross-border e-Commerce represents a trend in the market as being online helps merchants to gain visibility on a large scale. Claudia Patocchi, Head of e-Commerce Solutions at Asendia Switzerland, states: “We as Asendia Switzerland see a trend of companies taking this development of internationalization of their online shops as a chance, not just now, but already in the last two years.”

However, there are some obstacles on the way that can negatively impact the customer experience (such as the payment of VAT and customs duties at the doorsteps). Claudia continues: “know that this internationalization opportunity is not a 'Sunday afternoon walk'. This is a decision that has to be taken deliberately. And therefore the way to sell cross-border has to be planned… Being specialized in cross-border e-Commerce, we are pleased to support and advise you if you want to expand your online business internationally.”

 

Please visit the website of Swiss Post Asendia to book a free consultation: ecommerce.asendia.ch

 

Discover our full report and a free preview here: https://observatory.netcommsuisse.ch/

Netcomm Suisse members have free access to all our researches.

 

The report was created in close collaboration with our research partner ApertaMente.