Online sales in Switzerland: These sales channels should be used as an online retailer in Switzerland
Operating an online store also means that retailers must address sales strategies and sales channels. Unfortunately, these two topics are treated very superficially by many store operators. However, for successful online sales in Switzerland, it is essential to have a good overview of the available sales channels and a suitable sales strategy.
The sales strategy
Running an online store without a goal or plan will certainly not lead to long-term success. Anyone who wants to sell products online needs to ask themselves how they want to offer their existing products to which customers, in what way, and at what price. This also includes understanding the target market in which they want to sell. Do you know the market size and the competitors within it?
Sales strategies are always an element of marketing planning. They should be viewed as a dynamic process, meaning that strategies should always be adapted to the current situation. Especially in online retail, where the effectiveness of sales channels and advertising opportunities often fluctuates, it is advisable to review the current strategy to ensure it is still up to date.
Overview of sales channels in Switzerland
A sales channel can generally be described as the sales channels through which you can sell your products. These channels should not only be sought online for sales in Switzerland. In the real world, too, there are various ways for online retailers to sell their products. In addition to the many well-known sales channels, there are also very specific ways to get products to the customer. This always depends greatly on the products sold, the budget, creativity, and the respective marketing strategy.
Your online shop is also a direct sales channel. Your shop is the place where the customer ultimately places their order. Many other channels are more indirect sales channels, as they initially serve only as information and redirect customers to your shop.
Below, we will show you some well-known sales channels that may be relevant for you as an online retailer.
Search engines (organic search)
For many shop owners, search engines are the most attractive sales channel. Many therefore aim to rank among the top ten search results in organic search (SEO). While it cannot be denied that a good ranking can attract many potential customers to the online shop, achieving a good organic ranking now requires considerable know-how and often considerable effort.
To make optimal use of this channel, it is necessary to optimize your shop for search engines. If you have little or no knowledge of this yourself, significant costs may be incurred to ensure that your products and shop achieve good rankings. SEO should no longer be considered a free sales channel, as competitors often also make significant efforts to achieve good rankings.
Despite all this, this channel should not be neglected for online sales in Switzerland. It is advisable to implement SEO as an element in your marketing mix. However, you should avoid relying exclusively on this sales channel.
Search engines (paid search)
The counterpart to organic search (SEO) is paid search engine advertising (SEA). Here, individual keywords can be booked with search engine operators such as Google or Bing, with costs being charged for each click. The amount of the click costs depends on the number of competing companies and the maximum price you and your competitors are willing to pay. Depending on the intensity of competition, these costs can be significantly higher or significantly lower.
Paid search, as part of the search engine sales channel, can quickly lead to high sales, provided you have the appropriate budget and the advertised keywords also redirect to pages that meet your customers’ needs. Many customers who specifically want to buy something frequently use search ads, so this sales channel has great potential in many cases.
Social Media
Many people today are present on social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Of course, companies have also recognized the value of such networks and use them to market and sell their products.
Social networks require a high degree of sensitivity and empathy. A good corporate image, posts tailored to the target audience, and, of course, attractive products can undoubtedly boost sales. However, carelessly edited posts and messages that are not relevant to the target audience can, in the worst case, also lead to image damage and offensive comments.
Social networks are often used as a sales channel for existing customers. Customers who have already purchased from your online store and become fans of your company on your social media page can be reached through them. For example, Facebook is often used successfully as a customer loyalty tool by offering fans (and customers) not only product recommendations but also content with added value.
Marketplaces
Most inexperienced shop owners eventually face the question of whether they should also offer their products on one or more online marketplaces such as Amazon, eBay, or Google Shopping. Such marketplaces can significantly boost online sales in Switzerland, as they can also offer products at competitive prices.
Some shop owners are skeptical about the fees charged for selling products.
However, this skepticism is unjustified in most cases, as they overlook the fact that many other marketing costs are eliminated with this sales channel. However, pricing policies should certainly not be structured in such a way that the fees ultimately erode margins.
The disadvantage of marketplaces is that you are subject to the respective regulations and algorithms. Whether and how a product is displayed on the sales pages in such a way that customers actually buy it is not always transparent, so you should also use additional sales channels to avoid becoming too dependent.
Email marketing
Email is now one of the classic online sales channels. Well-written newsletters still have high sales potential for shop owners.
However, there are some legal aspects to consider when conducting email marketing. For example, it is no longer permitted to randomly purchase email addresses and then blindly send them to the recipients. However, if your customers or visitors consent to receiving emails from you, this tool can be a very effective sales channel.
Customers recruit customers
Customers themselves are a particularly attractive sales channel. Satisfied customers who have purchased from your online store are likely to recommend your shop to others. This can be accelerated by incentivizing both the customer and potential new customers. Both the customer and the potential new customer receive a certain fixed amount or percentage credit toward their next order.
Such customer referral approaches can be implemented, for example, through vouchers enclosed in the package. These then contain a voucher code that the new customer must enter.
This form of sales is particularly attractive because the costs are relatively low, increasing the chances of new sales.
You can find more information about creating an online shop here.
