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Marketplaces in Switzerland

June 20, 2024 by
Marketplaces in Switzerland
Lazhar Cader

Why Swiss marketplaces are an expanding online sales channel

Marketplaces are now major channels of ecommerce in Europe, reminiscent of the rise of supermarkets in Europe and the United States in the 1960s.

Customers can buy anything they want online on these marketplaces. For example, it is possible to purchase electronics, furniture, and some clothing on the same platform, in a single order. Moreover, the selection is particularly vast. In Germany, over 50% of online orders and 55% of mobile purchases go through marketplaces.

In addition to the convenience offered by the centralization of purchases, marketplaces focus on growth and innovation. By investing in technology and development, they continuously attract new suppliers and brands. The fear of missing out on an opportunity poses a threat to these new suppliers. As a result, more and more merchants and suppliers are joining these marketplaces, which attracts even more.

This snowball effect stimulates the Swiss ecommerce sector. In nine European countries, sales on marketplaces will represent about 36% of online sales in 2023.

European marketplaces Zalando, Otto, Bol.com and the Chinese marketplace Alibaba joins the American giants Amazon and eBay. However, these platforms require more responsiveness, particularly shorter response times to customer inquiries and faster deliveries. This is an advantage for the customer. Suppliers, for their part, can easily attempt to sell these products on such a platform. Moreover, they benefit from a huge advantage in terms of organic search engine optimization (SEO), provided that the merchant's product offering is complete.

Galaxus: The Must-Know Marketplace for Selling in Switzerland

In Switzerland, Galaxus.ch, a subsidiary of Migros, saw its revenue increase by 17% in 2025, reaching 3.764 billion francs, while Digitec specializes in electronics and IT. With prices lower than those of Amazon, Galaxus competes with it and captures a significant share of the Swiss e-commerce market.

Galaxus has opened 10 stores in Switzerland and also sells online in Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Thanks to its branches, Galaxus offers a multichannel service. These serve as showrooms, sales and advisory locations, as well as pickup points. Check the list of Galaxus stores.

In Switzerland, Manor followed suit and launched its marketplace in 2021, with the technological support of the French company Mirakl.

Galaxus does not impose base fees, but rather commissions on variable sales ranging from 7% to 20%, depending on the category. The marketplace does not offer logistics management and expects its partners to process each new order within one day.

To help you develop your e-commerce project, we integrate your products on the Galaxus marketplace and we take care of the logistics: storage, order preparation, labeling, packaging, and shipping all your products to their recipients.

Our warehouse management system (WMS) allows you to manage your orders, inventory, and returns from a single digital interface. We handle all the digital and physical steps of the entire supply chain (Global Supply Chain).

Our Marketplace services


Among the strengths of Galaxus is its reputation in Switzerland, with over 13.9 million monthly visits just in September 2026, making it the largest e-commerce platform in the country. Growing rapidly, it benefits from a loyal community and a user-friendly platform, where product data is often already available.

Its weaknesses lie in the lack of reliable data on customer behavior on the platform. Additionally, no marketing campaigns are offered to merchants.

This last point concerns large merchants. The size and growth of Galaxus represent a risk, and it is important to weigh the pros and cons of strengthening the platform with its assortment, for fear of favoring a potential competitor. Furthermore, there is a risk of proportionally too high revenue and a potential risk of dependency.

Find all the necessary information to become a merchant on Galaxus.


Galaxus' percentage fee

Manor: How to Leverage This Prestigious Ecommerce Platform?

With its 59 stores, Manor.ch has been present for 10 years and is the largest non-food retailer in Switzerland. It enjoys an excellent reputation in the country, with 98% of the population knowing it or having heard of it.

Its marketplace was launched in 2021. By the end of 2021, it had around a hundred partners and offered more than 200,000 additional items. Initially, it focused on the most strategically important products. A new product range was planned for 2022.

Just like Galaxus, Manor does not offer logistics services either. Our company, emaloja, a subsidiary of STAR Logistics, handles all stages of the supply chain. We integrate your products onto the marketplaces and manage your logistics, from order to delivery.

Manor, thanks to its network of stores, has an omnichannel approach, which is a significant advantage over pure online players. It offers pickup points or Click & Collect for all its products, as well as other services.

An advantage for the "pioneers" lies in the fact that its platform is in full development phase, which guarantees them excellent visibility. Furthermore, Manor has in-depth knowledge of brands and the market due to its retail experience in Switzerland.

Globus: a premium marketplace to boost your brand visibility and sales

In mid-July 2022, Globus launched its marketplace dedicated to high-end and luxury branded products. The products available in-store are almost all online, but the online space offers all the latitude necessary to expand the product range. Read the analysis of Globus by the Swiss Retail Association.

Customers can purchase elegant jewelry, beauty products, home accessories, and even the perfect bottle of wine. Globus introduces this luxury universe to its customers with over 2,000 brands, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The brand thus provides real added value through short delivery times and quality service.

Swiss marketplaces: opportunities, challenges, and best sales strategies

Marketplaces play a crucial role in e-commerce by offering a multichannel or omnichannel approach, with pickup points and various services. They provide a wide selection of products on a single platform.

Even if transparency regarding customer behavior may be lacking, their excellent organic search ranking (SEO) remains a major asset. One of the main advantages of certain plugins or Feedengine lies in the ability to have a unique stock while selling part of it on the marketplace(s) of your choice.

This allows you to test selling your products in different countries and on various platforms while maintaining affordable prices. However, the lack of transparency regarding customer behavior can pose a barrier to understanding your product sales.

That’s why having your own e-commerce site remains an asset. Although it has certain constraints, it offers the possibility to analyze customer behavior in order to improve sales.

Get a quote for integrating a Swiss marketplace.

Marketplaces in Switzerland
Lazhar Cader June 20, 2024
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