Online retailers in particular made gains in Christmas business

Swiss online retailers had a great year in 2019, as a survey by the news agency AWP shows.

Christmas business at the Coop's online retail subsidiary Microspot once again exceeded the previous year, which was also good, said a spokeswoman. Sales growth compared to the previous year was in the "clear double-digit range". For the Coop Group as a whole, however, Christmas business was "in line with the good previous year".

Brack, the online retailer belonging to the Competec Group, also reported significantly stronger growth for November and December than in previous years. "The increase is also higher than expected compared to the annual average," said a spokesperson.

Migros subsidiary Digitec Galaxus is a little more cagey: "We don't communicate exact figures for Christmas business." However, the company was able to make gains on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which are important indicators for Christmas business.

Online trend for toys too

Migros confirms the shift from bricks-and-mortar to online retail. According to a spokesperson, the orange giant recorded significant growth in the online area of its non-food range in 2019, while its bricks-and-mortar business declined at the same time.

Migros cites the toy industry as an example of this: while online retail has long been very important in the toy industry abroad, this trend is now also becoming clearly noticeable in Switzerland.

People were apparently also busy shopping in book retailing: Christmas business to date has been pleasing for Orell Füssli, it said. "We are slightly ahead of the previous year in terms of sales."

Business in the larger department stores was stable to slightly positive: At Loeb, Christmas business was on a par with the previous year, according to Loeb boss Ronald Christen. The Migros department store subsidiary Globus, which is up for sale, reported an increase in sales of around 2 percent.

Weather dampened buying mood

The stationary business was dampened somewhat by various factors. According to Migros, the daily constellation was better last year with a Sunday sale on December 23.

In addition, the weather did not allow any Christmas spirit to emerge for a long time. According to the Orell Füssli spokesperson, the relatively mild days initially dampened consumers' buying mood. Loeb also felt the effects of the mild weather when selling jackets and coats.

Meanwhile, online retailers are benefiting from the fact that promotional days such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Singles Day are becoming increasingly accepted by the public and are being supported by retailers on an ever wider scale, according to Brack.

On the other hand, there were no new toys or technology products worth mentioning this Advent: "No new must-have smartphones, no new games consoles," said a spokesperson. "And no new hype toys that absolutely had to be under the tree."

Lego and perfume

Consumers also tended to stick to the classics when it came to Christmas gifts. According to the retailers surveyed, perfumes, consumer electronics, smartphones and board games such as "Brändi Dog" were particularly popular. Lego and Playmobil are still the top sellers when it comes to toys. There was also a lot of hype surrounding the Pokémon brand.

Mr. and Mrs. Swiss are also sticking to the tried and tested traditions when it comes to food, as Coop and Migros report. Classics such as chinoise or cheese fondue, table grills and delicacies or "Schüfeli" are still served on these days. Smoked leeks and turkey are also popular.

Christmas bonuses and gift cards

The Christmas period continues to have an impact on retailers. For Orell Füssli, for example, the days up to January 3 still counted as Christmas business. Others have already started selling out.

Microspot, for example, already started this at Christmas. "That's why the days between Christmas and New Year's Eve are always strong sales days." This also remains the case in January, as many customers redeem the gift cards they received at Christmas. At Coop, New Year's Eve celebrations with friends and family also generate additional sales.

As Migros reports, many children are also spending their Christmas bucks these days, once again boosting toy sales. (SDA)