E-Commerce Study: Strong Consumption on the Internet Continues

The extensive survey of the 35 most influential Swiss online and multichannel providers confirms this: Online stores were the beneficiaries of the eight-week lockdown. "Based on the data available at the beginning of June, we expect growth of 22 to 30% in 2020 and thus a doubling to tripling compared to the previous year," summarizes study director Ralf Wölfe.

Growth of foreign platforms slows

Over the last five years, foreign suppliers have developed twice as fast as domestic ones. This has changed for the first time. It remains to be seen whether 2019 has initiated a trend reversal here. The growth expectations of Swiss providers are high. No one expects stagnation or a decline.

Merging offline and online channels in a meaningful way

"If you want to survive in the new networked world of offerings, your products and services have to be exactly where they are most useful for your target group," explains Datatrans Board Member Urs Kisling. "The separation of analog and digital worlds no longer makes sense." Providers are increasingly combining different channels to give consumers the easiest way to access and buy. E-commerce is becoming commerce.

Social media goes e-commerce

How intelligent networking can work can be seen, for example, in increased mobile commerce and the rise in sales activities on social media. Platforms are adding order buttons and new payment functions, and retailers are taking advantage of these and uploading entire product catalogs to WhatsApp, for example. With success, says Urs Kisling: "In mobile commerce, the main winners are those providers who focus on simplicity and service for users."

Growth trend in e-commerce stable

The study panel's expectations for e-commerce growth over the next five years are high: two-thirds of the companies surveyed expect their industry's e-commerce revenues to have grown by 50% or more in 2025. No one anticipates stagnation or decline.