The Swiss market is wealthy and digitally mature, making it very attractive to businesses wanting to expand internationally. This guide will explore how best to approach digital marketing in Switzerland. From reading this guide, you will learn the current digital landscape in the country, including internet penetration rates, online trends and behaviours, device usage, and the dominant search engines and social networks. You will also learn about the complexities of language and culture in Switzerland and what this means in terms of digital marketing. Finally, you will learn how to approach e-commerce in order to achieve success in Switzerland.
Table of contents
- Introduction
- The typical Swiss internet user
- Device usage in Switzerland
- Search engine marketing in Switzerland
- Social media marketing in Switzerland
- The local culture and language in Switzerland
- E-commerce in Switzerland
- Conclusion
Introduction
Switzerland is an attractive prospect to many businesses looking to expand internationally, and there are several reasons why.
The first reason is that it is a wealthy nation. Switzerland ranks fourth in Europe for GDP per capita. People in Switzerland typically have a good amount of disposable income, making them an enticing target audience for brands.
Another reason is its strategic geographical location. Sharing borders with the major economies of Germany, France and Italy, it is well-placed to do business with brands with a physical presence in any of these three European powerhouses.
It is also a digitally mature nation. Switzerland has a population of 9 million people. Of these people, around 97% are currently online.
However, it can be challenging to enter a new market. Never fear, this guide is here to shed light on how best to harness the power of digital marketing to succeed in Switzerland.
The typical Swiss internet user
Let's begin by looking at who exactly the typical internet user is in Switzerland.
There is a fairly equal gender split, with 98% of men and 97% of women using the internet.
The table below shows internet usage by age group in Switzerland. As you can see, there are very high levels of internet usage (over 99%) across the entire 15 to 74 age group, with this then dropping off over the age of 75:
There is no major urban-rural digital divide in Switzerland, with 98% of people in urban areas using the internet, along with 95% in rural areas.
However, there is a slight imbalance in internet access across different linguistic regions of the country, with French- and German-speaking regions of the country seeing slightly higher levels of internet penetration than Italian-speaking regions:
The typical Swiss internet user spends 5 hours and 47 minutes online every day. So, what are these people doing online? Research by Meltwater and We Are Social found that the top three reasons Swiss users gave for using the internet were: finding information, researching how to do things, and keeping up to date with news and events.
Let's briefly turn our attention to some key concerns of Swiss internet users. Online privacy is important to this group. According to recent research, 52% of Swiss internet users decline cookies on websites, 36% worry about how companies might use their online data, 29% use ad blocking tools, and 27% use a VPN to access the internet.
Device usage in Switzerland
Looking at device usage, 50% of internet traffic in Switzerland comes from desktop computers, 48% comes from mobile phones, and 2% comes from tablets.
It is therefore important that your website is optimised to work well across a variety of devices, to meet the demands of internet users and provide them with a positive user experience when interacting with your brand and website.
Given the popularity of mobile, you may want to create an app, as this presents a big opportunity for brands wanting to target the Swiss market. If you create an app, make sure to localise the language, especially if you are B2C. Make sure your app functions correctly and is valuable for users, otherwise your brand might suffer not only from poor return-on-investment but also negative reviews.
Internet speeds are faster than the global median. Switzerland ranks 9th in the world for fixed broadband speed, with a median speed of 257.38 MB per second. It ranks 32nd for mobile internet speed, with a median speed of 129.77 MB per second.
Search engine marketing in Switzerland
Google is the most popular search engine in Switzerland, with a market share of 85%. Bing comes in second place with 7%, followed by Yandex with 3%, DuckDuckGo with 2%, Yahoo with 1% and Ecosia with 1%.
Google is therefore the search engine that you must focus your SEO and PPC efforts on. If you want more in-depth information on how to succeed at search marketing on Google, we have this guide to on-page optimisation for Google and this guide to search and display advertising on Google.
We cannot stress enough how vital it is to have a strong presence on Google. Recent research has found that search engines are the number one main channel for online brand research in Switzerland, as well as the number one source of brand discovery.
However, be aware that 29% of Swiss internet users use an ad blocking tool. This means you do not want to rely completely on search advertising. Your organic SEO and content marketing efforts must also be given the attention they deserve in order to reach those internet users who have turned on an ad blocker.
Preparing your website for Switzerland
Check that your geotargeting is correctly set up for your Swiss website. This will vary depending on how you structure your domains, but you are likely to need hreflang tags correctly implemented to ensure that your Switzerland-targeted pages rank above your other country pages.
You should also check your website speed from within Switzerland, and if the loading speed is slow, consider hosting your website on a local server. You do not want to go through all the effort of creating, designing and localising your website, just to have those efforts undone by poor loading speeds and high bounce rates as a result.
Be aware that your Swiss website is legally required to have an "Impressum" page. The Impressum must be easy-to-access and provide the user with your company name, postal address and email address. Failure to have an Impressum on your Swiss website can lead to fines under civil and competition law, as well as a damaged reputation, as businesses that fail to comply can be viewed with suspicion.
If you sell products on your website, make sure to display prices in the local currency, use local weights and measurements, and accept local online payment methods.
And finally, make a point of creating and displaying local content, telling stories that are relatable and relevant to the local audience. This also includes the visuals and photos that accompany your written content.
Social media marketing in Switzerland
Social media is popular in Switzerland. Research by Meltwater and We Are Social found that amongst its sample of Swiss internet users, 76% were social media users. The average internet user spends 1 hour and 46 minutes on social media every day and uses an average of 6 social platforms every month. The most common reasons for using social media are keeping in touch with friends and family, filling spare time, and reading news stories.
So, where are Swiss social media users spending their time? As you can see in the graph below, WhatsApp is the most popular social platform in Switzerland, followed by Instagram and Facebook. All these platforms are used by more than half of all Swiss internet users every month.
With 76% of Swiss internet users being social media users, it is vitally important for brands to have a social media presence when targeting Switzerland. You should use social media to communicate and engage with potential customers, and it is also a useful way of understanding and getting to know your target audience. You should aim to create content that triggers emotions in users by offering real value or a real connection with your brand. Although you will obviously need to post localised content on your Swiss social media accounts that caters to your audience in the country, your social media strategy will not differ significantly for Switzerland compared to how you do it for other countries. For example:
- WhatsApp is a hugely popular messaging platform and could be used by your brand as a way of providing customer service. Depending on your sector, customers may welcome this as a convenient way to communicate with your business and ask you questions.
- Instagram is a great platform for B2C brands to be on, particularly if your products are in a visually-appealing sector such as fashion, design, cosmetics or travel. We have an in-depth guide to marketing on Instagram, if you want more detailed information about this.
- Facebook is a great platform to be on if you are a B2C brand. By posting regular, engaging content, you have a huge opportunity to engage with potential clients and drive sales. Not only that, but Facebook's highly specific targeting capabilities mean that you can use Facebook advertising to reach new users who fit your target audience profile perfectly. We have an in-depth guide to advertising on Facebook, if you want more detailed information about this.
Of course, you do not need to be on every social media platform; you only need to be where your audience is. Research your industry and your audience before entering the market, see what platforms they prefer and prioritise them. Bear in mind that your audience will most likely be present on multiple platforms and interact with you across all of them, but they will not want to see the same things from you on all of them. Your content strategy should take into consideration both who your audience is and where they are interacting with you.
The local culture and language in Switzerland
Culture
When entering any new market, it is very important to be aware of the local culture and to adapt your marketing collateral appropriately. One way you can examine the Swiss culture is through the lens of Hofstede's cultural dimensions.
Switzerland has a fairly low score of 34 for power distance. This means that:
- Digging deeper, there seems to be a regional divide for this dimension, with German-speaking parts of Switzerland tending towards a stronger belief in equality and shared decision-making, and French-speaking parts of Switzerland tending towards a more hierarchical social structure, where authority is respected and decisions are made by fewer, more senior decision-makers.
- When doing B2B marketing in Switzerland, you should therefore make sure to target numerous personas – both senior and junior – as this will cover the multiple perspectives that are taken into account during the decision-making process in German-speaking parts of Switzerland, whilst also covering the senior decision-makers so valued in French-speaking parts of Switzerland.
Switzerland has a fairly high score of 79 for individualism. This means that:
- Switzerland is an individualist society. In individualist societies, people tend to see themselves as standalone individuals, rather than as part of a group. People are expected to prioritise their own and their family's personal wellbeing, and to support themselves rather than expect support from wider society. Independence, self-reliance and initiative are desirable qualities.
- Emphasise how your product or service can personally benefit them as an individual.
Switzerland has a fairly high score of 70 for motivation towards achievement and success. This means that:
- People are primarily driven by a desire to be successful – i.e. to be the best at what they do.
- Emphasise how your product or service can help the customer become more successful.
Switzerland has a score of 58 for uncertainty avoidance, placing it around the middle of the spectrum. This means that:
- Digging deeper, there seems to be a regional divide for this dimension, with German-speaking parts of Switzerland being more comfortable with uncertainty, and French-speaking parts of Switzerland being less comfortable.
- Use a mix of marketing messaging to promote your product or service, highlighting both specific details about the features and processes, as well as more general information about the benefits and potential results.
Switzerland has a score of 42 for long-term orientation, placing it around the middle of the spectrum. This means that:
- People are interested in the past, present and future. Tradition is valued, but so is innovation.
- Use a mix of messaging to appeal to both short-term and long-term orientations. Talk about how your product or service can help the customer both immediately and in the future, since both quick, instant results and long-term benefits are valued.
Switzerland has a fairly high score of 66 for indulgence. This means that:
- Switzerland is quite an indulgent society.
- Value is placed on leisure time, gratification of one's desires, and personal enjoyment.
- Do not be afraid to make bold or exciting statements that emphasise how your product or service can help the customer enjoy themselves.
From our experience helping global brands succeed in the Swiss market, we can add that people in Switzerland attach great importance to personal data protection. As such, they are not keen on disclosing personal data on the internet. As a digital marketer, try to focus on delivering high-quality content before asking for personal data. Moreover, Swiss customers appreciate transparent data handling. Using a cookie disclaimer on your homepage can help to build that all-important trust.
Language
Whilst the EF English Proficiency Index ranks Switzerland as having "high" English proficiency, it is still preferable to create content in the local language(s), rather than English, if possible – particularly if you are a B2C brand. Using English could give the impression that you do not really care about the market, since you cannot be bothered to communicate with them in their language(s), which could give a poor impression of your brand.
So, what language should you use when targeting Switzerland? The answer is not as straightforward as you might think. Switzerland is a multilingual country with four official languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh. The graphic below shows how many people speak each language and where these different language speakers are distributed across the country. Most people in Switzerland speak at least one of the other three languages, besides their native language, to some extent.
As you can see, German is the most widely-spoken language in Switzerland, with 61.8% of the population speaking German. French comes in second with 22.8%, and it is mostly spoken in the Western part of the country. Italian comes in third with 7.8%, and it is spoken in the canton of Ticino and in some parts of the canton of Graubünden. In fourth place, Romansh is spoken by just 0.5% of the population, and the vast majority of its speakers have a command of at least one other official language.
You should definitely use German on your Swiss website. This will allow you to target not only the 61.8% of the population whose mother tongue is German, but also many others who speak German as a second language.
Adding a French language version to your Swiss website will also give you representation in the Western part of the country. With German and French, you will cover around 85% of the population in Switzerland.
An Italian language version of your Swiss website is only necessary if your business is located in or targeting the Italian-speaking cantons of Ticino or Graubünden.
Romansh does not need to be taken into account, as it only covers a very small part of the population, and its speakers can generally be reached using one of the other official languages.
However, be aware that Swiss-German, Swiss-French and Swiss-Italian have some terminology differences compared to the languages spoken in Germany, France and Italy, so if you have content on your Germany, France or Italy websites, you cannot just copy these over to your Swiss website; you must make sure to localise them for Switzerland first.
To illustrate this, the table below contains some examples of differences between the varieties of German used in Germany and Switzerland:
Translation, localisation and copywriting should always be done by a professional native speaker. Only a native will have a proper grasp of the local linguistic and cultural nuances and be able to create content that will truly resonate with your local Swiss audience.
Be aware that people in Switzerland will think poorly of you if you have mistakes in your written content. If your content contains linguistic errors or if a translation does not make sense, your brand image could be damaged, with the poor-quality content gaining you a reputation as an unprofessional company.
If you are translating any content, be aware that your content may end up being a different length. Therefore, be prepared to provide guidance on character limits and the space available for content on your webpage, and be conscious of how this can have an impact on things like your calls-to-action and product descriptions.
Speaking of calls-to-action, do not directly translate your calls-to-action from another market, as a direct translation is unlikely to resonate and work well in Switzerland. Instead, do some research to find out which calls-to-action are commonly used online in Switzerland in your sector.
Another area of digital marketing that is impacted by all the Swiss languages is dynamic keyword insertion. These languages do not always take dynamic keyword insertion kindly, due to grammatical gender issues. Dynamic keyword insertion puts you at risk of producing copy that is faulty and off-putting. If you must use dynamic keyword insertion, make sure to use several templates to adapt to as many cases as possible and limit errors.
It is also important to think about your keywords. Keywords should never be translated; instead, you should always conduct local keyword research. This is because a translation will probably not produce keywords that have the most impact in the target market. Only fresh keyword research conducted by a native speaker will reveal the best keywords to target. The video below explains in six minutes why you should never translate keywords:
E-commerce in Switzerland
E-commerce is popular, although it still has plenty of growth ahead of it. 51% of people in Switzerland have made a purchase using a mobile phone or the internet in the past year. The B2C e-commerce market in Switzerland is worth the equivalent of USD 13.4 billion annually. The average Swiss B2C shopper spends the equivalent of USD 2,510 online per year.
So, what are people in Switzerland buying online? The consumer goods categories with the highest annual spend are fashion, furniture and electronics.
The main drivers of online purchases are key indicators as to what Swiss users value most when making their online purchasing decisions, giving you an opportunity to understand what is best to highlight in your marketing collateral and calls-to-action, so that you can convert leads into customers. Free delivery is the top driver of online purchasing behaviour in Switzerland, with 61% saying this would encourage them to buy. This is followed by coupons and discounts with 39% and an easy returns policy with 32%.
Looking at e-commerce payment methods, bank transfer is the most popular option, accounting for 44% of online purchases. Cards come in second place, accounting for 35% of online purchases, followed by e-wallets with 18%. It would therefore be wise to offer multiple payment options when targeting the Swiss market, since various payment methods have significant popularity.
Another important thing to remember is to ensure you are selling in the correct currency: Swiss francs (Fr. or CHF). This may sound obvious, but you would be surprised how many businesses see poor results simply because they have neglected to localise the currency on their website.
When creating your price labels, be aware that Switzerland is one of the countries where the comma is not used as a thousand separator; instead, groups of digits are typically separated by an apostrophe. This is different from how numbers are written in English-speaking countries. The bullet points below illustrate this by demonstrating how to write one hundred thousand pounds/Swiss francs. When targeting Switzerland, make sure that your prices follow the Swiss standard, to ensure clarity.
- In English: £100,000.00
- In Swiss: Fr. 100'000.00
Alternatively, you could sell your products on an e-commerce marketplace. The most popular e-commerce marketplace in Switzerland is Galaxus, followed by Ricardo, Amazon, Migros and Tutti. If you want to sell your items on an online marketplace, Galaxus should therefore be your first choice when targeting Switzerland.
Once you have sold a product, you still need to get it to the customer. The most popular delivery method for items bought online is home delivery, so it would be wise to offer this delivery option (if applicable).
Be aware that there are seasonal fluctuations in the Swiss e-commerce calendar, when people are more likely to buy. Black Friday and Cyber Monday have become increasingly popular in Switzerland in recent years, with online shops in the country offering good discounts in the final week of November. Make sure you tap into this seasonality when selling your products and coming up with your marketing materials.
Be aware of "Made in Switzerland"
Swiss-made products are well-known for their high quality, authenticity, performance, uniqueness, design, advanced technology, sustainability and fair production. Because of this, Swiss-made products are often prized as status symbols, with their "Swissness" adding to their perceived value.
In order to protect the brand "Switzerland" and to prevent its misuse, a "Swissness" law came into force in January 2017. It defines the terms under which goods and services can be labelled as "Swiss", "Made in Switzerland" or of "Swiss quality", as well as when the Swiss cross can be used.
For example, regarding the production of industrial goods, at least 60% of the production costs must occur in the country for it to be considered "Swiss". For services, businesses are required to have their office registered in Switzerland and actually be administered from Switzerland.
Some of the sectors most affected by "Made in Switzerland" include luxury watches, fine confectionary, pharmaceuticals and medical products. If your products fall into any of the aforementioned categories, you should therefore be aware that competition in the country may be very fierce.
Do not let that put you off, though; so long as you have a unique selling point that sets you apart from the crowd, there could well be a place for you in the market.
Conclusion
The Swiss market is one that is both wealthy and digitally mature, with high levels of internet penetration and high spending power. It is a strong and established market that rightfully draws the attention of many global brands. We hope this guide has given you a good starting point from which to build your Swiss success story. If you localise your strategy effectively, your digital marketing and business expansion efforts in the country have the potential to go far. Good luck!
To learn more about digital marketing in Switzerland, click here.
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