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

Anyone who wants to study the Online Retailer Survey 2024 in detail can download it here.

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

Asian marketplaces increase the pressure

The most important part of the survey is the so-called “worry barometer in e-commerce”, in which the merchants speak about their biggest challenges. As in 2023, this year too the current market situation is the main concern: competition is steadily growing and price pressure continues to increase.

The worry barometer of this year’s Online Retailer Survey shows: The current market situation, including the rising competition, is causing particular challenges for Swiss online retailers.

A significant event was the abolition of industrial tariffs on 1 January 2024: previously, duties were levied on certain imported goods to protect domestic producers from foreign competition. Now, however, Asian platforms such as Temu or Shein can import their goods into Switzerland without additional costs - and therefore offer them even more cheaply.

So how can you, as a merchant, hold your own against the increasing competitive pressure from Asia? The Online Retailer Survey 2025 also provides important inputs and strategies on this, which we summarise for you below.

1. Promise quality - and deliver it!

The product looked great in the pictures, but shortly after arriving home comes the disappointment: the goods are cheaply made, smaller than promised or look completely different from the pictures. You can use exactly these negative experiences to your advantage. 78 percent of the merchants surveyed also try to differentiate themselves through the quality of the products. You should communicate this accordingly in the product description.

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

2. Be reachable by email, phone or live chat

A major shortcoming of the Asian giant marketplaces is their impersonal feel. Customers are quickly fobbed off, receive AI-generated mass emails and often struggle with support for hours. At the same time, more and more people have the need for a positive buying experience. 62 percent of the online retailers surveyed said that they set themselves apart through top customer service.

This is how you can improve customer service:

The Online Retailer Survey 2024 lists a large number of possible USPs (Unique Selling Propositions) through which Swiss SMEs can stand out.

3. Deliver quickly and accept returns

A major disadvantage of the Asian competition is its geographical distance: anyone ordering from Temu and the like often has 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 stated that they hold their own against foreign platforms through a fast delivery. With 39 percent of the mentions, a generous returns policy also seems important.

To differentiate yourself on these points, the following steps could help:

4. Offer a wide range of payment methods

The order process at Temu and the like involves some hurdles. On the one hand, buyers have to provide a large amount of data - including address and telephone number - and on the other hand, the selection of payment methods is very limited. In addition to credit and debit cards, the only options left are TWINT, PayPal, Google Pay or Klarna for purchase on invoice.

All of these are also included in your Payrexx account, as well as much more. Together with Payrexx, you can therefore optimise your customers' payment process:

Together with Payrexx, you can make your customers' payment process as quick and easy as possible. So that in future they prefer to shop in your online shop rather than with one of the Asian major retailers.