For the seventh time, the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), for the first time together with the University of Applied Sciences North-western Switzerland (FHNW), conducted the annual online retailer survey. The comprehensive study provides important insights into the trends and challenges in e-commerce and is therefore considered mandatory 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, what payment methods they offer, which sales channels they serve, or which payment service provider they rely on. On the latter question, Payrexx performed very well and continues to be one of the most popular payment service providers among Swiss SMEs and online retailers with 18 percent of mentions.

Asian marketplaces increase the pressure

The probably most important part of the survey is the so-called "concern barometer in e-commerce," in which the retailers discuss their greatest challenges. As was the case in 2023, this year too the current market situation remains the main concern: competition is constantly growing and price pressure continues to increase.

Das Sorgenbarometer der diesjährigen Onlinehändlerbefragung zeigt: Die aktuelle Marktsituation, darunter die steigende Konkurrenz, macht den Schweizer Onlinehändler:innen besonders zu schaffen.

A significant event was the abolition of industrial tariffs on January 1, 2024: Previously, tariffs were levied on certain imported goods to protect domestic producers from foreign competition. However, now Asian platforms like Temu or Shein can import their goods to Switzerland without additional costs – and therefore offer them even cheaper.

So how can you, as a retailer, stand up to the increasing competition from Asia? The online retailer survey 2025 also provides important inputs and strategies, which we summarize for you below.

1. Promise and deliver quality!

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

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

2. Be reachable via email, phone, or live chat

A major shortcoming of the Asian giant markets is their impersonal touch. Customers are quickly handled, receive AI-generated mass emails, and often struggle for hours with support. At the same time, more and more people crave a positive shopping experience. 62 percent of the surveyed online retailers indicated that they differentiate themselves through top customer service.

This is how you can improve customer service:

Die Onlinehändlerbefragung 2024 zählt eine Vielzahl an möglichen USPs (Unique Selling Propositions) auf, durch welche sich Schweizer KMU abheben können.

3. Deliver quickly and accept returns

One significant disadvantage of the Asian competition is their geographical distance: Those who order from Temu and Co. often have 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 differentiate themselves against foreign platforms through fast delivery. With 39 percent of mentions, a generous return policy seems equally important.

Following steps may help you differentiate in these points:

4. Offer a wide range of payment methods

The ordering process at Temu and Co. is associated with some hurdles. On the one hand, buyers must provide a large amount of data – including address and phone number – and on the other hand, the selection of payment methods is severely limited. In addition to credit and debit cards, only the choice of TWINT, PayPal, Google Pay or Klarna for purchase on account remains.

All these are also included in your Payrexx account, along with much more. This is how you optimize the payment process of your customers together with Payrexx:

Together with Payrexx, you can make the payment process for your customers as fast and easy as possible. So that they continue to prefer shopping in your online shop rather than at one of the Asian mega-retailers.