Create a club shop in Switzerland: sell merch, tickets and courses online

Swiss associations can set up their own online shop for merchandise, event tickets and course registrations without any programming knowledge. So-called mini webshops or one-page shops, which are hosted by a Payment Service Provider (PSP) and accept payments via TWINT, credit card, PostFinance and Apple Pay, are ideal for this. Setup takes less than an hour, with costs starting at zero Swiss francs fixed costs plus transaction fees of approx. 1.3–2.5 % per sale.

This guide compares the three most common sales channels for associations, shows three concrete use cases (fan shop, ticket shop, course registration) and explains step-by-step how to set up your association shop.

1. Why your own association shop makes sense

Many associations sell jerseys via WhatsApp message, concert tickets via bank transfer and course places with a handshake at training. This works – until it doesn't work anymore: orders get lost, payments are missing, the treasurer loses track. A simple online shop solves three problems at once: it displays the offer, takes the order and collects the payment – all in one step.

A mini webshop (also known as a one-page shop) is a single webpage with a few products that is linked directly to a payment solution. In contrast to a fully-fledged e-commerce shop (e.g. WooCommerce, Shopify), a mini webshop does not require its own domain, hosting or technical maintenance. It is ideal for associations selling between 3 and 20 products.

2. Three use cases: How associations use their online shop

2.1 Sports club fan shop: Jerseys, caps and water bottles

A football or unihockey club offers its members and fans club merch: jerseys (CHF 65–85), caps (CHF 25), water bottles (CHF 15) and hoodies (CHF 55). In the mini webshop, the buyer selects the product, size and colour, enters their address and pays immediately. The club receives the order including payment and dispatches the product or offers collection at the next home game.

2.2 Cultural association ticket shop: Concert, theatre, reading

A brass band association sells tickets for its annual concert (CHF 25 adults, CHF 15 children). Instead of selling the tickets for cash at the entrance, they set up an online ticket shop. The buyer selects the category, pays via TWINT or credit card and receives a confirmation email which serves as a ticket. At the entrance, the confirmation is scanned via smartphone or printout, or checked manually. Advantage: The association knows the number of visitors in advance and can plan the catering better.

2.3 Course provider: Yoga subscription, cooking class, training camp

A yoga association offers a 10-class pass for CHF 180 and single lessons for CHF 22. A cooking association sells individual course places (CHF 75 per evening). In the mini webshop, the product page also serves as a registration form: name, email, desired course and date. Payment is made directly upon registration – saving the association from having to follow up. Subscription models with automatic monthly billing are ideal for recurring offers.

3. Comparison of three sales channels

Not every association needs its own webshop. Depending on the range, target group and technical know-how, three approaches can be considered.

Tip: For most associations, the mini webshop is the sweet spot: low effort, professional payment processing, sufficient functions. A fully-fledged webshop is only worthwhile if the association maintains an extensive range and regularly adds new products.

4. Step-by-step: Setting up your association shop

4.1 Define products

Determine which products your association wants to sell online. Keep the list short – 5–10 products are enough to start. For each product you need: name, price in CHF, description (1–2 sentences), a photo and, if applicable, variants (size, colour). For tickets: event date, category, available quantity. For courses: date, time, instructor, participant limit.

4.2 Set up the shop

Register with a PSP that offers mini webshops – such as Payrexx Pages, MyCommerce or a comparable Swiss tool. Upload your association logo, choose the colours and add the products with photo, description and price. Activate the payment methods: TWINT, credit and debit card (Visa, Mastercard), PostFinance Pay. Test the shop with a test payment (minimum amount, then cancel).

4.3 Sell and promote

Share the shop link via email to your members, post it on social media and print it as a QR code on flyers. For pre-orders (e.g. jerseys before the start of the season), set a ordering window with a start and end date. For tickets, communicate clearly: "Secure tickets online – limited places". For courses, send the link directly with the course confirmation.

4.4 Combination of on-site + online

Many associations sell online AND at the match or event. This is how it works: the online shop accepts pre-orders (payment instantly). At the event itself, the pre-ordered products are ready for collection. In addition, you collect payment from walk-in customers via Tap to Pay, card terminal or QR code at your stand. The revenue from both channels flows into the same PSP Dashboard.

5. Costs at a glance: How much does an association shop cost?

The following table shows the costs for a typical association shop with 10 products and 50 orders per month with an average price of CHF 40.

Result: The mini webshop is the most cost-effective solution for most associations when you take into account the time required for setup and maintenance. The pure transaction costs are slightly lower with your own webshop, but the infrastructure and maintenance costs do not outweigh this for low volumes.

6. Checklist: Setting up your association shop

• Products defined: name, price (CHF), description, photo, variants (size, colour)

• PSP account opened and verified (statutes, IBAN, identification of board members)

• Mini webshop created: logo, colours, products uploaded

• Payment methods activated: TWINT, credit card, PostFinance

• Form fields set up (name, address, size – depending on product)

• Test order completed and confirmation email checked

• Shop link shared: email to members, social media, QR code for print

• Process defined for collection at the event (print out order list or check off digitally)

• Refund process clarified (e.g. in case of event cancellation)

• Export orders regularly (CSV) for accounting and order processing

Payrexx offers a mini webshop with "Pages" which can be set up without any programming knowledge and combines merch, tickets and course places with integrated payment (TWINT, Credit Card, PostFinance, Apple Pay).

Form fields for name, address and custom details (e.g. T-shirt size or course date) can be configured per product. The orders flow into a central Dashboard with an export function. The Free plan has no monthly fixed costs – the association only pays transaction fees per sale.