The results are in from the 2022 retailer survey on cashless payments in Switzerland.

The proportion of cashless payments in retail is continuing to rise. Compared to Germany, significantly more people are actually paying without cash in Switzerland. In terms of the costs that arise from cashless payments, Swiss retailers often lack insight and knowledge, however.

The aim: greater insight into the structures and costs of cashless payments in Switzerland

While the EHI Retail Institute has managed to increase transparency and knowledge of the structures and costs of cashless payments in the German market thanks to a recurring study, there was no comparable study in Switzerland until 2021.

The “Retailer survey on cashless payments in Switzerland”, which treibauf carried out in 2022 in collaboration with ZHAW (Zurich University of Applied Sciences), closes this gap, making it a crucial step in generating greater insight and understanding in the Swiss market.

Design and composition of the study

102 different Swiss companies were questioned for our retailer survey between 10/08/2022 and 19/09/2022. 70 % of the participating companies are in the B2C field, 90 % are in retail and 49 % also operate an online shop. 85 % of the companies involved meet the definition of an SME (< 250 employees).

What was examined?

The survey not only looked at what share of overall sales came from each of the different payment methods, but also at acquirer distribution – and at the retail companies’ satisfaction with the different acquirers. As a result, the study provides valuable insights into the acquirer landscape in Switzerland, which had not been available before.

The survey also examined the distribution of the different cost structures and fee models in Switzerland – and the companies were asked what they see as the biggest challenges in the context of cashless payments.

Where are the results?

Would you like to learn more about the results of the 2022 retailer survey? Just write us a short email with a little information about your position and your company. We will then gladly send you more information on the study.

And by the way: all the companies that took part in the study were sent the detailed results along with a management summary of the study at the end of last year. So it’s definitely worth taking part.

What were the main findings?

Two of the main findings relate to the distribution of the various acquirers in the Swiss market and the acquirers’ main price models and their respective usage. The study also investigated the extent to which retail companies are even aware of their current price model.

A certain paradox also comes to light here: on the one hand, retailers complained about the high fees and their dependence on the acquirers.

Conversely, retail companies are often unaware of the options for optimising the price models and the choice of acquiring banks to suit their specific circumstances and requirements.