2024: A record year for Swiss e-commerce - and for Payrexx
Swiss online commerce is booming - this is confirmed by both national studies and the figures from Payrexx. The Swiss payment provider recorded a total transaction volume of CHF 805.6 million in 2024, an increase of 31% compared to the previous year. This success reflects Payrexx's strong positioning and the continuing dynamism of e-commerce.
2024 was a historic year for Swiss e-commerce. According to the study "Internet Usage and E-Commerce Switzerland 2024 " by the Research Center for Retail Management at the University of St. Gallen, e-commerce sales in Switzerland reached CHF 18 billion - a figure that not only exceeded all previous years, but also the peak values during the coronavirus pandemic.
The figures from Payrexx also confirm this trend. The leading Swiss payment provider for SMEs, based in Thun, supports around 60,000 merchants worldwide, including well-known Swiss companies such as BKW, Carvolution, Zweifel Pomy-Chips, Hotelcard and Selecta. Numerous SMEs, non-profit organizations and associations also rely on Payrexx's intuitive payment solutions.
Most frequently used payment methods and top-selling sectors
All Payrexx merchants together achieved a transaction volume of CHF 805.6 million in 2024. This corresponds to an increase of 31% compared to the previous year, which means that Payrexx has grown at an above-average rate compared to the rest of the industry. The aforementioned study by the University of St. Gallen attributes the industry growth to a higher number of Swiss users and an increase in the amount spent. So not only are more people shopping online, they are also prepared to spend more money.
If you compare the individual sectors based on their total turnover, the service sector proves to be particularly successful. The 132 Payrexx merchants in this sector achieved a combined transaction volume of around 54 million Swiss francs. The retail sector followed in second place with 30 million Swiss francs, closely followed by the travel industry with 27 million Swiss francs.
As the data from Payrexx shows, Swiss shoppers prefer to pay online with TWINT. Around 60% of all transactions were processed via this payment method, followed by Mastercard (20%) and Visa (16%).
If we take a look at international transactions, the data paints the following picture: Mastercard is in first place with 45 percent usage, Visa is in second place with 39 percent and American Express is in third place with 6 percent.
International buyers and innovative products
In addition to the well-known domestic payment methods, country-specific and international payment methods are also becoming increasingly important for Swiss merchants. For customers from Asia, for example, Payrexx offers the WeChat Pay payment method, which is particularly popular in China. The Swiss payment provider always strives to provide its merchants with a wide range of payment methods. Accordingly, the offering was further expanded in 2024 to include the following methods, among others:
Payrexx QR Pay: The innovative product has been supplemented with free stickers and table displays. This significantly expands the most popular payment method for the Swiss, TWINT. With the QR codes from Payrexx, customers can pay not only via the TWINT app, but with all popular payment methods.
"Pay by Bank": This new payment method picks up on the trend from Germany, where online shoppers prefer to pay by real-time transfer from their bank account. This means that customers from Germany can now also shop seamlessly, quickly and securely with Swiss retailers.
Discover® Global Network: Payrexx is the first Swiss payment provider to tap into this global network. This means that merchants now have the option of receiving payments with one of many Discover Global Network cards, including the well-known Discover® Card and Diners Club International®.
Click to Pay with Visa: This new feature allows shoppers to securely store their credit cards and make future purchases with just a few clicks - for faster check-out and fewer cart abandonments.
POS terminal pilot phase: More than 60 merchants throughout Switzerland are already using the modern card readers that Payrexx launched as part of a protected test phase. Following a successful test phase, the product will be available to all merchants as soon as possible.
Payrexx invests substantially and continuously in the further development of its products and services. Only through constant innovation is it possible to extend the company's lead over its competitors and further advance merchants and their companies. In recognition of these efforts, the Volkswirtschaft Berner Oberland awarded Payrexx the 2024 Innovation Prize - a significant moment for the entire Payrexx family!
Upcoming projects and small successes
In the current financial year 2025, Payrexx will continue to focus on the success and well-being of its merchants. One of the first projects to be released in the coming weeks will therefore be the new Tap to Pay application. This turns any NFC-enabled Android device into a payment terminal - very simply and at a particularly low cost compared to conventional card readers.
The release of this new product should bring the Swiss payment provider a significant step closer to fulfilling its vision: Payrexx wants to become the leading omnichannel payment provider in Switzerland, which helps SMEs to succeed through innovative and seamless payment solutions. In addition to various growth projects, the company will also focus on its core business - after all, celebrating small successes is part of everyday life at Payrexx. In conclusion, the following points should therefore be positively emphasized:
9,344 new customers have registered with Payrexx.
25 new platforms use the white label gateway from Payrexx.
Two new plugins have been released for easy connection to existing store systems, specifically for JTL and Shopify. Payrexx now offers a total of ten self-developed plugins.
Various new adapters have been integrated, including PayPal. A total of 30 third-party providers are now connected to Payrexx.
