Switzerland

C&A has expanded its multichannel strategy and integration of online and offline sales channel by launching an online store in Switzerland. Good news for local consumers who want to order something from the Dutch fashion retailer online. A broad campaign has started in Switzerland to promote C&A’s latest expansion. Switzerland is the ninth market where C&A runs an online store.

The Federal Council of Switzerland wanted to introduce a right of return for the local ecommerce industry, just like has happened in the majority of Europe, but the National Council was against it. Even if this meant Swiss consumers would be disadvantaged against EU citizens. But for purchases over the phone, customers still have some important rights.

What are the biggest online stores in leading ecommerce countries like Germany or the Netherlands and which players dominate the ecommerce industry in the Alps? We've got the answers for you and we can already give one thing away: Amazon is everywhere and seems very unstoppable.

Naspers is considering a sale of its ecommerce site Ricardo.ch. The largest online retailer in Switzerland is owned by Naspers since 1998, but according to Bloomberg the South-African media group is looking for a new buyer. Apparently, preparations for a sale are at an early stage.

LeShop.ch, the leading online supermarkt in Swiss, has opened its second drive-through click-and-collect service. In the canton of Argovie, the new 'DRIVE' is located on the main road between Zurich, Aarau and Lucerne, a few minutes from the A1 Autobahn. The pick-up store offers a range of over 8,500 items, including fresh bread, wine, beer, fruit and vegetables, as well as local products.

PrestaShop and eBay have agreed to expand their partnership and business development activities in Europe. After already establishing a partnership in France, Italy, Spain and the UK, the two companies now will partner up in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Merchants using PrestaShop's ecommerce software now can rapidly integrate their online store with the eBay marketplace.

Just Eat has shown some pretty big growth during the first half six months of this year. Its revenue grew by almost sixty percent compared to the same period last year, while its profit went up almost 600% in the past six months. But not all is positive for the UK-headquartered company, as revenue in Belgium and the Netherlands declined.

Home24, the online furniture company from Rocket Internet, has doubled the number of its customers to 1 million and had started with optimizing and redesigning its online store so customers get more inspiration when buying furniture online.

Starting the 30^th of June, 3Si Group will abandon the services of 3Suisses in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The management wants to shut down smaller activities in order to concentrate more on the core markets France and Belgium. The decision is part of the modernization strategy of the 3Suisses brand.

Richemont takes high court action to stop websites in the United Kingdom from selling counterfeit products. This landmark case could change the content and future of the internet, some broadband providers fear. But the Swiss luxury company, behind e.g. Cartier jewellery and Montblanc Watches, won’t back down and is hoping for a positive court decision.

Swiss underwear brand Calida is continuing its expansion strategy by opening an online store in Italy. Later this year, its offering will also be extended to France. The Swiss lingerie manufacturer already has online stores in Switzerland, Germany and Liechtenstein.

The online market in Switzerland is growing steadily. Online sales have grown by 15.5% in 2012 and 12.1% last year, so it's now worth 8.36 billion euros. Switzerland has just under 8 million inhabitants, but more than 6 million use the internet and more than 5 million of them are online shoppers.

With an average growth rate of 19% in 2012 the ecommerce industry in Central Europe was growing almost as hard as the European average, which is 19.9%. The region's ecommerce market was worth 75.9 billion euros in 2012, but it's expected to have grown to 93.3 billion euros last year, which comes down to an increase of 23% in 2013.

The online retail and mail order business in Switzerland has grown with 9.7% in 2013. The market is now worth 6.25 billion Swiss francs or 5.14 billion euros. Best selling product categories in Switzerland are consumer electronics and clothing. The majority of Swiss consumers, almost nine in ten, prefer to pay by invoice. Nearly 10% of all orders are done with mobile devices.

The Rocket Internet powered European online webshop for furniture is preparing to enter the Swiss market. The company continues to increase its international presence with a particular focus on European markets. At the same time its increasing the size of its product assortment to more than 50,000 items, making it one of the webshops with the broadest range of furniture, lamps and home accessories available across continental Europe.