In late 2021, treibauf partnered with the consultancy Arkwright to conduct the first Swiss EFT Insights – a survey on the structures and costs of cashless payment transactions in Switzerland. In early 2022, we presented the results in a webinar. But why was this survey conducted in the first place? What was examined? And what were the main results? This article answers the most important questions.
Why did we conduct the Transparency Survey?
Looking at the payment market, there is a clear trend that also applies to Switzerland: more and more customers are paying cashless. As a result, the fees for these cashless payments are also becoming an increasingly important cost factor for businesses.
Nevertheless, for many companies, both the exact composition of these fees and their relative level compared to other market participants remain a «black box» – just like several other key topics.
We want to change this. That is why we have developed the Swiss EFT Insights: a series of surveys intended to bring more transparency to the Swiss cashless payments market. In late 2021, we conducted the first survey. This work also produced recommendations for the sustainable and efficient management of payment services.
What did the survey look into?
We asked the participating companies a series of questions on four major topics:
- Pricing models and fee structures for cashless payments
- Market participants’ preferred acquirer
- Change in the use of various payment methods since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic
- The biggest challenges in cashless payments
Who took part in the survey?
The focus of the first survey in late 2021 was primarily on small and medium-sized companies in Switzerland: 40.5% of participants have 1–10 locations, 23.8% have 11–50 locations, and 17% have more than 51 locations. A total of 84 retail companies participated in this first survey.
What were the main results?
The results of the survey were presented on 18 January 2022 in a webinar. The participants have received all results in a PDF document.
We have summarised below the main findings of the first survey from our point of view.
Over 50% have no preference as to the choice of acquirer
Surprisingly, 53% of the survey participants had no preference as to the acquirer. In turn, the main reasons for preferring cooperation were hardly surprising: they include broad card acceptance, service, and good value for money.
Almost 80% of participants are “satisfied” with the acquirer
78.7% of the participants were fairly satisfied, satisfied, or even very satisfied with the cooperation with their acquirer. The main reason given for this was the seamlessness of processes. 21.3% of the participants were dissatisfied with their acquirer. The main reasons given for this were pricing and conditions.
Three major challenges involved in cashless payment transactions
The three biggest challenges for companies when it comes to cashless payments at the POS were increased costs of payments (41.4%), an increasing dependence of retail companies on payment service providers (38.6%), and system complexity and the service provider landscape (53.7%).
Will there be a follow-up survey in 2022?
The response to the Swiss EFT Insights has exceeded expectations: Not only did the webinar participants show a lot of interest, but we also received a lot of positive feedback about the importance and relevance of the survey to the market as a whole.
There is a growing awareness that more and deeper insights help retail companies to better understand this key part of their business.
For this reason, we will also conduct a follow-up survey in 2022 – this time with even more participants, including from large companies. Incidentally: Numerous Swiss associations have already pledged their support to the Swiss EFT Insights 2022.
