The rise of shopping platforms from China is making a strong impact in Switzerland. In a top 10 list of popular online shopping destinations, three names from China are included. While AliExpress was the only Chinese player in the Swiss top list three years ago, it has now been surpassed by Shein and Temu.
This is according to a periodic study on internet use and ecommerce in Switzerland, conducted by researchers at the University of St. Gallen. In the study, Swiss consumers were asked where they made the most online purchases over the past twelve months.
Amazon overtakes Zalando
Amazon, the market leader in almost all major European countries, is now in the top spot. Of Swiss online shoppers, 10.5 percent most often made purchases there. The local and internationally expanding player Galaxus follows with 9.0 percent, with Zalando in third at 8.4 percent. Three years ago, when this survey was last conducted, Zalando was at the top of the list (and Amazon was in third behind Galaxus). Over the past three years, the German company has lost significant popularity, although Zalando has recently managed to regain ground.
Shein, Temu, and AliExpress
Shein is new to this Swiss top 10, and Temu did not even exist at the time of the previous survey. The international bargain platform from PDD Holdings, investigated by the European Commission, landed the fourth spot.
For 4.6% of Swiss consumers, Temu is the number one online shopping destination.
AliExpress is in 10th place on the list but, due to the ranking method (with two positions numbered 7 and three numbered 9), is actually behind twelve companies. The impact of this Alibaba subsidiary has significantly declined since 2021, when the platform was ranked eighth in the order-based popularity list; this is not a revenue-based ranking.
Ecommerce in Switzerland
According to the researchers, ecommerce in Switzerland now accounts for 17.3 percent of the country’s total retail sector. In the past three years, associated revenue has risen by 20.8 percent to an expected more than 19 billion euros this year. Over half (52.4 percent) of all online purchases are now made via smartphones.