Trustmark for Swiss E-Commerce Merchants: Using Switzerland’s Excellent Image for Economic Development Beat Vonlanthen, Member of the Council of States Swiss E-Commerce Conference Baden, November 16 th , 2017
1 Why is e-commerce an issue of political interest?
2 Swiss e-commerce: an increasing pressure from abroad • Swiss online purchases (B2C) from abroad have doubled since 2012 • They amounted to 1’550 M CHF in 2016 • The estimated daily parcel deliveries represent: • 30’000 units from Zalando • 45’000 units from Aliexpress • Deliveries from China grow above average
3 Cross-border online shopping amplifies negative macroeconomic trends… • Outflow of value creation due to cross-border “shopping tourism” • Reduced employment in certain sectors and job relocations • Losses of tax revenue for public entities (VAT)
4 … but e-commerce represents also an opportunity for Switzerland’s export-orientated economy Retail e-commerce sales (B2C) worldwide from 2014 to 2021 (in billion U.S. dollars) • Online shopping is one of the most popular internet activities • Internet facilitates access to external markets • 3’700 M internet users worldwide (Nov 2017) • 5’500 M google searches per day (Aug 2017) Source: statistica.com (2017)
5 E-commerce offers new opportunities in particular to SMEs Frequency and success of SME sales Direct exports channels • Direct exports are the most successful internationalization strategy of Swiss SMEs • Internet allows SMEs to address potential customers directly even in distant markets Source: Prof. Rico Baldegger, International Opportunities for Swiss SMEs (2016)
6 The national brand of Switzerland gives Swiss retailers a competitive advantage • In the global market, the image of a country has a major impact on the success of companies which are located there • Switzerland has one of the strongest national brands in the world • “Swissness” is a key success factor of the Swiss export sector
7 Swiss e-commerce stands out i.a. for trustworthiness and high quality of products… Source: Netcomm, Understanding cross-border data to exploit Swiss e-export potential (2017)
8 … and Swiss B2C export potential has not yet been fully exploited Online shoppers who would recommend to buy from a Swiss online shop Source: Netcomm, Understanding cross-border data to exploit Swiss e-export potential (2017)
9 Swiss companies could sell more online thanks to the positioning of the national brand in e-commerce A unique Swiss e-commerce trust mark would allow to : • capitalize on the excellent image of the country • contribute to the success of export strategies • fully exploit the potential of Swiss e-commerce
10 Netcomm Suisse buysafe.swiss trustmark The trust mark will demonstrate that : • the company is legally registered as a Swiss company and financially solid • it uses Swiss registered payment and logistic service provider
11 How can politics further help the e-commerce sector? • Cooperation with EU in the framework of the European Digital Single Market strategy • Example: “Mini one-stop shop” for VAT transactions • Simplification of export and customs formalities • Example: electronic customs • Improved information offer and support for companies wishing to develop online business • Example: information platform about legal regulations and customer protection in target markets
Thank you for your attention!
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