Create an association shop in Switzerland: sell merch, tickets and courses online

Swiss associations can set up their own online shop for merchandise, event tickets and course registrations without any programming knowledge. So-called mini-webshops or one-page shops, which are hosted by a payment service provider (PSP) and accept payments via TWINT, credit card, PostFinance and Apple Pay, are ideal for this. Setup takes less than an hour, and costs start at zero fixed costs plus transaction fees of approx. 1.3–2.5 % per sale.

This guide compares the three most common sales channels for associations, shows three concrete use cases (fan shop, ticket shop, course registration) and explains step-by-step how to set up your association shop.

1. Why having your own association shop makes sense

Many associations sell jerseys via WhatsApp message, concert tickets via bank transfer and course slots with a handshake at training. This works – until it stops working: orders get lost, payments are missing, the treasurer loses track. A simple online shop solves three problems at once: it displays the offer, takes the order and collects the payment – all in one step.

A mini-webshop (also known as a one-page shop) is a single web page with a few products that is directly connected to a payment solution. In contrast to a full-fledged e-commerce shop (e.g. WooCommerce, Shopify), a mini-webshop does not require its own domain, hosting or technical maintenance. It is ideal for associations selling 3–20 products.

2. Three use cases: How associations use their online shop

2.1 Sports club fan shop: Jerseys, caps and water bottles

A football or floorball club offers its members and fans club merchandise: jerseys (EUR 65–85), caps (EUR 25), water bottles (EUR 15) and hoodies (EUR 55). In the mini-webshop, buyers select the product, size and colour, enter their address and pay immediately. The association receives the order including payment and ships the product or offers pickup at the next home game.

2.2 Cultural association ticket shop: Concert, theatre, reading

A brass band association sells tickets for its annual concert (EUR 25 adults, EUR 15 children). Instead of selling the tickets in cash at the entrance, it sets up an online ticket shop. Buyers select the category, pay via TWINT or credit card and receive a confirmation email which serves as a ticket. At the entrance, the confirmation is scanned via smartphone or printout, or checked manually. Advantage: The association knows the number of visitors in advance and can plan catering better.

2.3 Course association: Yoga subscription, cooking course, training camp

A yoga association offers a 10-class subscription for EUR 180 and individual lessons for EUR 22. A cooking association sells individual course slots (EUR 75 per evening). In the mini-webshop, the product page also serves as a registration form: name, email, desired course and date. Payment is made directly during registration – saving the association from having to follow up. For recurring offers, subscription models with automatic monthly debiting are ideal.

3. Comparison of three sales channels

Not every association needs its own webshop. Depending on the offer, target audience and technical know-how, three approaches can be considered.

Tip: For most associations, the mini-webshop is the sweet spot: low effort, professional payment processing, sufficient functions. A full-fledged webshop is only worth it if the association maintains an extensive range and regularly adds new products.

4. Step-by-step: Setting up an association shop

4.1 Define products

Determine which products your association wants to sell online. Keep the list short – 5–10 products are enough to start with. For each product you need: name, price in EUR, description (1–2 sentences), a photo and, if applicable, variants (size, colour). For tickets: event date, category, available quantity. For courses: date, time, instructor, participant limit.

4.2 Set up the shop

Register with a PSP that offers mini-webshops – such as Payrexx Pages, MyCommerce or a comparable Swiss tool. Upload your association logo, choose the colours and add the products with photo, description and price. Activate the payment methods: TWINT, credit and debit card (Visa, Mastercard), PostFinance Pay. Test the shop with a test payment (small amount, then cancel).

4.3 Sell and promote

Share the shop link via email to members, post it on social media and print it as a QR code on flyers. For pre-orders (e.g. jerseys before the season starts), set a ordering window with a start and end date. For tickets, communicate clearly: "Secure online tickets – limited spaces". For courses, send the link directly with the course confirmation.

4.4 Combination of on-site + online

Many associations sell online AND at the match or event. It works like this: The online shop takes pre-orders (payment immediate). At the event itself, the pre-ordered products are ready for pickup. In addition, you collect payments from walk-in customers via Tap to Pay, card terminal or QR code at the stand. Revenues from both channels flow into the same PSP Dashboard.

5. Cost overview: What does an association shop cost?

The following table shows the costs for a typical association shop with 10 products and 50 orders per month at an average price of EUR 40.

Result: The mini-webshop is the most cost-effective solution for most associations when taking into account the time spent on setup and maintenance. The pure transaction costs are slightly lower with an own webshop, but infrastructure and maintenance costs do not outweigh this for small volumes.

6. Checklist: Setting up an association shop

• Products defined: name, price (EUR), description, photo, variants (size, colour)

• PSP account opened and verified (statutes, IBAN, identification of board members)

• Mini-webshop created: logo, colours, products uploaded

• Payment methods activated: TWINT, credit card, PostFinance

• Form fields set up (name, address, size – depending on product)

• Test order completed and confirmation email checked

• Shop link shared: email to members, social media, QR code for print

• Process for pickup at the event defined (print order list or check off digitally)

• Refund process clarified (e.g. in case of event cancellation)

• Regularly export orders (CSV) for accounting and order processing

With «Pages», Payrexx offers a mini-webshop that can be set up without programming knowledge and combines merch, tickets and course slots with integrated payment (TWINT, credit card, PostFinance, Apple Pay).

Form fields for name, address and individual details (e.g. T-shirt size or course date) can be configured per product. Orders flow into a central Dashboard with an export function. The Free-Abo has no monthly fixed costs – the Verein only pays transaction fees per sale.