2024 was a historic year for Swiss online commerce. According to the study “Internet Usage and E-Commerce Switzerland 2024” by the Research Center for Trade Management at the University of St. Gallen, e-commerce revenue in Switzerland reached 18 billion francs – a sum that not only surpasses all previous years but also the peak values 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 merchants worldwide, including renowned Swiss companies such as BKW, Carvolution, Zweifel Pomy-Chips, Hotelcard, or Selecta. Furthermore, numerous SMEs, non-profit organizations, and associations rely on Payrexx’s intuitive payment solutions.

Most Used Payment Methods and Revenue-Generating Industries

All Payrexx merchants together achieved a transaction volume of 805.6 million francs in 2024. This corresponds to a 31 percent increase compared to the previous year, making Payrexx grow above the industry average. The aforementioned study by the University of St. Gallen attributes the industry growth to a higher number of Swiss users and an increasing expenditure amount. Not only are more people shopping online, but they are also willing to spend more money.

Comparing the individual industries by their total revenue, the service sector proves to be particularly successful. The 132 Payrexx merchants in this sector achieved a collective transaction volume of around 54 million Swiss francs. In second place is the retail trade with 30 million Swiss francs, closely followed by the travel industry with 27 million Swiss francs.

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

Looking at international transactions, the data presents the following picture: Mastercard is in first place with 45 percent use, Visa in second place with 39 percent, and American Express in third place with 6 percent.

International Customers and Innovative Products

In addition to the well-known local payment methods, country-specific and international ones are also becoming increasingly important for Swiss merchants. For customers from the Asian region, for example, Payrexx offers the payment method WeChat Pay, which is particularly popular in China. The Swiss payment provider is always striving to offer its merchants a wide range of payment methods. Accordingly, the offer was further expanded in 2024 to include the following types:

• Payrexx QR Pay: The innovative product was supplemented by free stickers and table displays. Thus, the most popular payment method among Swiss people, via TWINT, is significantly expanded. 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 captures the trend from Germany, where online shoppers prefer to pay by real-time bank transfer from their bank account. Thus, customers from Germany can now shop seamlessly, quickly, and securely with Swiss merchants.

• Discover® Global Network: As the first Swiss payment provider, Payrexx has tapped into this globally active network. Thus, merchants now have the opportunity 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 customers to store their credit cards securely and make future purchases with just a few clicks – for a faster checkout and fewer cart abandonments.

• POS Terminal Pilot Phase: More than 60 merchants nationwide are already using the modern card readers, which 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 development of its products and services. Only through constant innovation is it possible to expand the lead over competitors and advance merchants and their businesses. As a confirmation of these efforts, the economic association Berner Oberland awarded Payrexx the Innovation Prize 2024 – a significant moment for the entire Payrexx family!

Upcoming Projects and Small Successes

In the current fiscal year 2025, Payrexx continues to focus on the success and well-being of its merchants. Therefore, one of the first projects is set to launch the new Tap to Pay application in the coming weeks, turning any NFC-enabled Android device into a payment terminal – simply and, compared to traditional card readers, very cost-effectively.

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 succeed through innovative and seamless payment solutions. In addition to various growth projects, the company will also focus on its core business – ultimately, at Payrexx, it is commonplace to celebrate the small successes too. Lastly, the following points should therefore be positively highlighted:

• 9,344 new customers have registered with Payrexx.

• 25 new platforms use Payrexx’s White Label Gateway.

• Two new plugins were released for easy integration with existing shop systems, specifically for JTL and Shopify. Thus, Payrexx now offers a total of ten self-developed plugins.

• Various new adapters were integrated, including PayPal. Thus, a total of 30 third-party providers are connected to Payrexx.