For the seventh time, the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), together with the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW) for the first time, conducted the annual online retailer survey. The comprehensive study always provides important insights into trends and challenges in e-commerce and is therefore considered required reading for interested online retailers.

If you want to study the Online Retailer Survey 2024 in detail, you can download it here.

This year, 624 online shops from Switzerland, Austria, and other countries were surveyed on various topics - such as which payment methods they offer, which sales channels they serve, or which payment providers they rely on. On the latter question, Payrexx performed very well and, with 18 percent of mentions, continues to be one of the most popular payment service providers for Swiss SMEs and online retailers.

Asian marketplaces increase the pressure

Arguably the most important part of the survey is the so-called "e-commerce concern barometer," in which retailers talk about their biggest challenges. As in 2023, the current market situation is the main concern this year: Competition is steadily growing, and price pressure continues to increase.

Das Sorgenbarometer der diesjährigen Onlinehändlerbefragung zeigt: Die aktuelle Marktsituation, darunter die steigende Konkurrenz, macht den Schweizer Onlinehändler:innen besonders zu schaffen.

A significant event was the elimination of industrial tariffs on January 1, 2024: Previously, duties were levied on certain imported goods to protect domestic producers from foreign competition. However, Asian platforms like Temu or Shein can now import their goods into Switzerland without additional costs - and thus offer them even cheaper.

So how can you assert yourself as a retailer against the increasing competition pressure from Asia? The Online Retailer Survey 2025 also provides important inputs and strategies on this, which we summarize for you below.

1. Promise quality – and deliver!

The product looked great in the pictures, but shortly after it arrives at home, there is disappointment: The goods are cheaply made, smaller than promised, or look completely different from the pictures. You can use these negative experiences to your advantage. Additionally, 78 percent of the surveyed retailers try to differentiate themselves through the quality of the products. This should be conveyed accordingly in the product description.

The following points speak for the quality of your goods or service:

2. Be reachable, via email, phone, or live chat

A major drawback of the Asian giant markets is their impersonal touch. Customers are quickly dismissed, receive AI-generated mass emails, and often struggle for hours with support. At the same time, more and more people are craving a positive shopping experience. 62 percent of the surveyed online retailers stated that they differentiate themselves through excellent customer service.

Here's how you can improve customer service:

Die Onlinehändlerbefragung 2024 zählt eine Vielzahl an möglichen USPs (Unique Selling Propositions) auf, durch welche sich Schweizer KMU abheben können.

3. Deliver quickly and accept returns

A significant disadvantage of the Asian competition is their geographical distance: Those who order from Temu and co. often have to wait weeks for their products. You, on the other hand, can benefit from short transport and distribution routes. 44 percent of all participants in the Online Retailer Survey 2024 indicated that they assert themselves against foreign platforms with fast delivery. With 39 percent of mentions, a generous return policy seems to be equally important.

To differentiate yourself in these aspects, the following steps might help:

4. Offer a wide range of payment methods

The ordering process with Temu and co. is associated with several hurdles. On the one hand, buyers must provide a multitude of data - including address and phone number - and on the other hand, the selection of payment methods is quite limited. Besides credit and debit cards, only the choice of TWINT, PayPal, Google Pay, or Klarna for purchase on account remains.

All of these are also included in your Payrexx account, and much more. Thus, you optimize the payment process for your customers together with Payrexx:

Together with Payrexx, you can make the payment process for your customers as quick and easy as possible. This way, they will prefer to shop in your online store rather than with one of the Asian wholesalers in the future.