The online merchant survey, conducted for the sixth consecutive time by the Zürcher Hochschule für angewandte Wissenschaften (ZHAW) and the Management Center Innsbruck (MCI), recorded a total of 598 participating online shops, of which 441 (74%) are from Switzerland. 82 percent are engaged in the Business-to-Consumer (B2C) sector, 45 percent in the Business-to-Business (B2B) sector, and 14 percent in direct-to-consumer (D2C) sales (multiple sector participation possible). Since 2017, the online merchant survey has highlighted the most important trends and developments in the e-commerce market and is supported, among others, by the Swiss Retail Federation. The complete study can be read on the Payrexx website.

Payrexx as number 1 payment provider in Switzerland - with outstanding customer satisfaction

An essential part of the study was to find out which Payment Service Provider (PSP) online merchants use to process online transactions. The survey results are clear: After being in second place last year, the company from Thun has now secured the first place, surpassing PostFinance (4th), Saferpay (3rd), and PayPal (2nd). The steadily increasing market share and remarkable growth rate demonstrate that Payrexx meets the Swiss SMEs' requirements for a payment provider with its offerings and work approach. Payrexx's Net Promoter Score (NPS), which is an indicator of customer satisfaction and loyalty, speaks for itself. It is measured based on the willingness of customers to recommend and at Payrexx, it is exceptionally high at 50 compared to competitors.

As the online merchant survey also shows, credit card, TWINT*, Invoice, PostFinance*, and PayPal are the most commonly used payment methods in online shops, but innovative mobile payment solutions and Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) solutions are also gaining popularity. Online merchants generally strive to integrate innovative payment solutions and offer their customers a wide range of options.

AI tools in e-commerce: A crucial role for success

In addition to the most popular payment solutions, the online merchant survey also revealed other interesting developments. Artificial intelligence (AI) is gaining increasing importance in e-commerce. The results show that 63 percent of the surveyed online merchants use AI tools in their business processes. These tools are used, among other things, for content creation, personalized recommendations, chatbots, predictive analytics, and other applications. Online merchants expect to improve the shopping experience for customers and optimize operational processes by using these tools. Payrexx, too, is aware of the importance of AI and actively uses this and other advanced technologies in daily work.

Furthermore, the online survey also showed a trend away from self-developed online shops towards the increased use of online shop systems. Leading are WordPress (WooCommerce, 14%), Magento (Adobe Commerce, 11%), Shopware (8%), and Shopify (8%).

Continuous innovation and customer focus as the secret of Payrexx's success

"We are extremely proud of the results of the 2023 online merchant survey," says Ivan Schmid, founder and CEO of Payrexx. "These results show that our efforts to offer innovative payment services and a seamless user experience are appreciated by our customers. We will continue to be at the forefront to meet the ever-changing demands of e-commerce."

When asked what the secret of Payrexx's success is, Ivan Schmid says:

"Payrexx offers everything the SME heart desires. Our merchants have access to all locally important payment methods at the push of a button, and we are the only provider in Switzerland to offer payment methods such as TWINT, PostFinance, Mastercard, VISA, Samsung Pay, Google Pay, Swiss QR Invoice, Centi for crypto payments, and bob invoice from a single source with an acceptance contract. Payrexx is also compatible with all major shop systems, and our customers benefit from first-class customer service, ranging from same-day onboarding (if registered by 4:00 PM) to comprehensive, competent support that is available to advise and assist with any questions."

This is Payrexx

Payrexx was founded in Thun in 2015 and specializes as a payment institution in the processing of digital payment methods. The Swiss company operates a self-developed payment platform as a registered payment facilitator for Mastercard and VISA, which unites a total of 40 payment providers and more than 200 payment methods and currencies from around the world through a single interface.

Over 50,000 satisfied customers across Europe already process their online payments via Payrexx. These include well-known brands and companies such as BKW, Carvolution, Zweifel Pomy-Chips, Hotelcard, the SBB, Swisscom, and the Swiss Post. Users of Payrexx have the opportunity to use an agile platform that is easy to use and also highly innovative technologically. Through the offered e-commerce tools (Pages, Paylink, Invoice, Donations, QR Pay, Terminal), merchants receive an all-in-one solution that is highly effective and reduces effort.

All systems of Payrexx are redundantly designed, ensure the highest availability, and are certified according to the strictest PCI-DSS Level-1 guidelines.