2024 was a historic year for Swiss online retail. According to the study “Internet Usage and E-Commerce Switzerland 2024” by the Research Centre for Retail Management at the University of St. Gallen, e-commerce revenue in Switzerland reached 18 billion francs – a sum that not only surpasses all previous years, but also the peak values during the Corona pandemic.

The figures from Payrexx also confirm this trend. The leading Swiss payment provider for SMEs based in Thun supports around 60,000 Comerciante worldwide, including renowned Swiss companies such as BKW, Carvolution, Zweifel Pomy-Chips, Hotelcard, and Selecta. Additionally, numerous SMEs, non-profit organisations, and associations rely on the intuitive payment solutions from Payrexx.

These are the most used payment methods

All Payrexx-Comerciante together achieved a transaction volume of 805.6 million francs in 2024. This represents an increase of 31 percent compared to the previous year, making Payrexx's growth exceptionally strong compared to the industry average. The already mentioned study from the University of St. Gallen attributes the industry's growth to a higher number of Swiss users and an increasing spending amount. So not only are more people shopping online, but they are also willing to spend more money doing so.

When comparing the individual industries based on their total revenue, the service sector proves to be particularly successful. The 132 Payrexx-Comerciante belonging to this sector jointly achieved a transaction volume of around 54 million Swiss francs. The retail trade follows in second place with 30 million Swiss francs, closely followed by the travel industry with 27 million Swiss francs.

As Payrexx data shows, Swiss buyers prefer to pay online with TWINT. Around 60 percent of all transactions were processed via this payment method, followed by Mastercard (20%) and Visa (16%).

Looking at international transactions, the data paints the following picture: Mastercard ranks first with 45 percent usage, Visa is in second place with 39 percent, and American Express ranks third with 6 percent.

Five important milestones

In addition to the well-known domestic payment methods, country-specific and international ones are also gaining increasing significance for Swiss Comerciante. For customers from the Asian region, for example, Payrexx offers the particularly popular payment method WeChat Pay in China. The Swiss payment provider is always striving to offer its Comerciante a wide range of payment methods. Accordingly, the offering was further expanded in 2024 to include, among others, the following methods:

• Payrexx QR Pay: The innovative product was supplemented by free stickers and table stands. This significantly expands the most popular payment method among the Swiss, that via TWINT. With Payrexx's QR codes, customers can pay not only via the TWINT app but with all popular payment methods.

• “Pay by Bank”: This new payment method adopts the trend from Germany, where online shoppers prefer to pay via instant transfer from their bank account. This allows customers from Germany now to shop seamlessly, quickly, and securely with Swiss Comerciante.

• Discover® Global Network: As the first Swiss payment provider, Payrexx has opened up this globally active network. Comerciante now have the opportunity to accept payments with one of many cards from the Discover Global Network, including the well-known Discover® Card and Diners Club International®.

• Click to Pay with Visa: This new feature allows buyers to save their credit cards securely and make future purchases with just a few clicks – for a faster checkout and fewer shopping cart abandonments.

• POS-Terminal pilot phase: Already over 60 Comerciante nationwide use the modern Kartenlesegeräte, which Payrexx launched as part of a protected test phase. After a successful test phase, the product will soon be available to all Comerciante.

Payrexx invests substantially and continuously in the further development of its products and services. Only through constant innovation is it possible to expand the lead over competitors and to advance the Comerciante and their companies further. As confirmation of these efforts, Volkswirtschaft Berner Oberland awarded Payrexx with the Innovation Prize 2024 – a significant moment for the entire Payrexx family!

Upcoming projects and minor successes

In the current business year 2025, Payrexx's focus remains on the success and well-being of its Comerciante. One of the first projects is the release of the new Tap to Pay application in the coming weeks. This turns any NFC-enabled Android device into a payment terminal – effortlessly and, compared to conventional Kartenlesegeräte, particularly cost-effective.

The release of this new product is intended to bring the Swiss payment provider significantly closer to fulfilling its vision: Payrexx aims to become the leading omnichannel payment provider in Switzerland, helping SMEs succeed through innovative and seamless payment solutions. In addition to various growth projects, the company will also focus on its core business – after all, at Payrexx, even small successes are celebrated daily. Finally, the following points should be highlighted positively: