Why Swiss Marketplaces Are a Fast-Growing Ecommerce Sales Channel
Marketplaces are now major ecommerce channels channels in Europe, reminiscent of the rise of supermarkets in Europe and the United States in the 1960s. Customers can buy whatever they want online on these marketplaces. For example, buying electronics along with furniture and a few clothes can be done on the same platform, in a single order. Moreover, the selection is particularly vast. In Germany, more than 50% of online orders and 55% of mobile purchases go through marketplaces. In addition to the convenience of centralizing purchases, marketplaces focus on growth and innovation. By investing in technology and development, they continually attract new suppliers and brands. The fear of missing out poses a threat to these new suppliers. As a result, more and more merchants and suppliers are joining these marketplaces, attracting even more.
This snowball effect is boosting the Swiss e-commerce sector . Across nine European countries, sales will account for approximately 36% of online sales in 2023. European marketplaces Zalando, Otto, Bol.com, and the Chinese marketplace Alibaba are joining American giants Amazon and eBay. However, these platforms require greater speed, for example, shorter response times to customer questions and faster delivery. This is an advantage for the customer. The supplier, for his part, can easily try selling these products on such a platform. In addition, they benefit from the enormous SEO advantage, provided the merchant's product offering is comprehensive.
Galaxus: The Must-Know Marketplace for Selling in Switzerland
In Switzerland, Galaxus.ch, the Migros subsidiary, saw its turnover increase by 13% in 2023, for an amount of 2.74 billion francs, while Digitec specializes in electronics and IT. With prices lower than Amazon, Galaxus is resisting it and capturing a large share of the Swiss ecommerce market. Galaxus has opened 10 stores in Switzerland, and also sells online in Germany, France, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands. Through its branches, Galaxus offers a multi-channel service. They serve as a showroom, sales and advice site, but also as a collection point. In Switzerland, Manor follows the example and opens its marketplace in 2021, thanks to technological support from the French company Mirakl.
Galaxus does not impose a base fee, but variable sales fees ranging from 7% to 20% depending on the category. The marketplace does not offer logistics management and expects each new order to be processed by partners within one day. To help you develop your e-commerce project, we integrate your products into the Galaxus marketplace and take care of the logistics: warehousing, order preparation, labeling, packaging, and shipping to the recipient of all your products. Our warehouse management system (WMS) allows you to manage your orders, inventory, and any returns from a single digital interface. We handle all digital and physical steps of the entire logistics chain (Global Supply Chain).
Galaxus' strengths include its notoriety in Switzerland with 2 million active customers and more than 20 million monthly visits, making it the largest ecommerce platform in the country. Growing, it benefits from a loyal community and a user-friendly platform with product data often already available. The weak points are the little reliable data we have access to on customer behavior on the platform. There are also no marketing campaigns offered to merchants either. The last point concerns large traders. The size and growth of Galaxus represents a risk, and it is the need of weighing the question of strengthening the platform with its assortment, for fear of favoring a potential competitor. In addition, there is a risk of proportionally too high turnover and a possible risk of dependence.
Find all the information you need to become a trader at Galaxus.
Manor: How to Leverage This Prestigious Ecommerce Platform?
With its 59 stores, Manor.ch has been active for 10 years and is the largest non-food retailer in Switzerland. It has an excellent reputation in Switzerland with 98% of people who know or have heard of it. Its marketplace was launched in 2021. It has around a hundred partners and more than 200,000 additional items in its marketplace at the end of 2021. It initially focuses on the most important products at the strategic level. Another series of products is planned for 2022. Like Galaxus, Manor also does not offer logistics services. Our company emaloja, a subsidiary of STAR Logistics, ensures all stages of the logistics chain. We integrate your products into marketplaces and manage your logistics, from ordering to delivery. Manor, thanks to its store network, has an omnichannel approach which is a serious advantage compared to pure players (who are only online). It offers collection points or Click & Collect for all its products, as well as other services. An advantage for “early adopters” is that its platform is in the full development phase, which ensures them excellent visibility. In addition, Manor has in-depth brand and market knowledge thanks to its retail experience in Switzerland.
Globus: A High-End Marketplace to Boost Your Brand Visibility and Sales
In mid-July 2022, Globus launches its marketplace intended for high-end and luxury branded products. The products available in store are almost all available online, but the online space offers all the space necessary to expand your product range. So you can buy elegant jewelry, beauty products or home accessories up to the right bottle of wine. Globus brings this world of luxury to life for its customers through more than 2,000 brands 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It thus provides real added value with short deadlines and quality service.
Swiss Marketplaces: Opportunities, Challenges, and Best Sales Strategies
Marketplaces play a crucial role in e-commerce by offering a multi-channel or omnichannel approach with pickup points and various services. They offer a wide selection of products on a single platform. While transparency regarding customer behavior may be lacking, their excellent SEO remains a major asset. A major advantage of certain plugins or Feedengine is the ability to own a single product base while selling a portion 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 your customer behavior can be an obstacle to understanding your product sales. Therefore, owning your own e-commerce site remains an asset. Although it comes with some constraints, it offers the opportunity to analyze your customer behavior to improve your sales.
Marketplaces in Switzerland