2024 was a historic year for Swiss e-commerce. According to the study “Internetnutzung und E-Commerce Schweiz 2024” (Internet Use and E-Commerce Switzerland 2024) by the Research Center for Commercial Management at the University of St. Gallen, e-commerce sales in Switzerland reached 18 billion Swiss francs – a sum that not only surpasses all previous years, but also the peak figures during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Payrexx's figures also confirm this trend. The leading Swiss payment provider for SMEs, based in Thun, supports around 60,000 Comerciantes worldwide, including well-known Swiss companies such as BKW, Carvolution, Zweifel Pomy-Chips, Hotelcard or Selecta. In addition, numerous SMEs, non-profit organizations and associations rely on the intuitive payment solutions from Payrexx.

These are the most widely used payment methods

All Payrexx Comerciantes combined achieved a transaction volume of 805.6 million Swiss francs in 2024. This represents an increase of 31 percent compared to the previous year, which means that Payrexx grew at an above-average rate compared to the industry as a whole. The aforementioned study by the University of St. Gallen attributes this growth in the industry to a higher number of Swiss users as well as to an increasing spending amount. In other words, not only are more people shopping online, they are also willing to spend more money in the process.

If you compare the individual sectors based on their total turnover, the service sector proves to be particularly successful. The 132 Payrexx Comerciantes belonging to this sector jointly achieved a transaction volume of around 54 million Swiss francs. Retail follows in second place with 30 million Swiss francs, closely followed by the travel industry with 27 million Swiss francs.

As Payrexx data shows, Swiss purchasers prefer to pay with TWINT on the internet. Around 60 percent of all transactions were processed via this payment method, followed by Mastercard (20 %) and Visa (16 %).

Taking a look at international transactions, the data shows the following: Mastercard is in first place with 45 percent use, Visa is in second place with 39 percent and American Express in third place with 6 percent.

Five major milestones

In addition to the well-known domestic payment methods, country-specific as well as international payment methods are steadily gaining importance for Swiss Comerciantes. For customers from the Asian region, for example, Payrexx offers WeChat Pay, which is particularly popular in China. The Swiss payment provider always strives to provide its Comerciantes with a wide spectrum of payment methods. Accordingly, the offering was further expanded in 2024 to include the following:

• Payrexx QR Pay: The innovative product was complemented by-free-of-charge stickers and table displays. This significantly extends the most popular payment method among Swiss customers, via TWINT. With Payrexx's QR codes, 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 purchasers prefer to pay via real-time bank transfers from their bank accounts. This now allows customers from Germany to shop seamlessly, quickly and securely with Swiss Comerciantes.

• Discover® Global Network: Payrexx is the first Swiss payment provider to open up this globally operating network. As a result, Comerciantes now have the capability to receive payments with one of many cards from the Discover Global Network, including the well-known Discover® Card and Diners Club International®.

• Click to Pay with Visa: This new feature allows purchasers to securely store their credit cards and make future purchases with just a few clicks – for speeded up checkout and fewer shopping cart abandonments.

• POS terminal pilot phase: More than 60 Comerciantes across Switzerland are already using the modern Lector de tarjetas, which Payrexx launched as part of a protected test phase. Following a successful testing phase, the product will be available to all Comerciantes 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 expand the lead over competitors and propel Comerciantes and their businesses forward. As confirmation of these efforts, the Volkswirtschaft Berner Oberland awarded Payrexx the Innovation Prize 2024 – a significant moment for the entire Payrexx family!

Upcoming projects and minor successes

In the current financial year 2025, Payrexx continues to focus on the success and well-being of its Comerciantes. As one of the first projects, the new Tap to Pay application is scheduled for release in the coming weeks. This transforms any NFC-enabled Android device into a payment terminal – very simply and, compared to traditional Lector de tarjetas, particularly cost-effective.

The release of this new product is intended to bring the Swiss payment provider a significant step closer to fulfilling its vision: Payrexx wants to become the leading omnichannel payment provider in Switzerland, helping SMEs achieve success through innovative and seamless payment solutions. Along with various growth projects, the company will also focus on its core business – after all, it is part of everyday life at Payrexx to celebrate the minor successes as well. Finally, the following points should therefore be highlighted positively: