Entering the online retail market and generating revenue there with an online shop has long been a matter of course in the business world. Are you and your company still not active in Swiss e-commerce? Do you have little or no previous knowledge? This short introduction will show you how to quickly and professionally create your own webshop.
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Created on 15.07.2022
| Updated on 11.08.2023
Online shop creation made easy – here’s how to do it, even without much previous knowledge
The e-commerce boom is continuing unabated. It’s no longer just optional for most companies to have an online shop – it’s essential. But how do companies without much specialist knowledge create a shop like this, where customers can make purchases with the most common payment methods?
Creating an online shop – what to consider?
First, consider which of the products in your range will attract most interest in e-commerce. Consider too how your online shop will ensure packaging and transport, and which payment options you want to offer to your customers.
More information on payment options can be found in the article “Successful online retail: the key payment methods for online shops”.
Define the domain for your online shop
Now decide on the domain name for your web shop – i.e. the internet address used to access your shop. At The link will open in a new window nic.ch, you can check whether the domain name you want (ending with .ch) is available. This step is not necessary if you are integrating your online shop into your existing website. In this case, check whether you can add the shop solution you want into your website – usually with what’s known as a plug-in.
Compare different solutions for an online shop
To help you make a quick start, there are ready-made solutions available where you don’t need to worry about the technical operations. With these solutions, you can choose from various design templates into which you enter your products yourself. You also have the option offering your products at the touch of a button on Facebook, Instagram or Google Shopping, and to use SEO tools to increase your visibility online. It’s also easy to integrate the most common payment options in Switzerland. PostFinance offers a variety of payment solutions for payment collection.
Here, we present a range of solutions to help you create your own online shop. All of them allow the following payment methods:
- PostFinance Card
- PostFinance e-finance
- TWINT
- Credit card
- Debit card
- Invoice
Create your own online shop with Shopify
The The link will open in a new window Shopify platform provides interactive step-by-step instructions. You can choose between an all-in solution or the Shopify Buy Button, which allows you to offer individual products for sale.
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- Updates: Shopify runs regular automatic updates to keep elements and functions up to date. This happens automatically in the background.
- Free test version: Shopify offers a free test version, valid for 14 days. This means you can take your time to see if the platform is right for you.
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- Prices: There are monthly fees of different amounts depending on the type of subscription. Additional fees and commissions are paid for each repeat order.
- Only a monolingual version: With all-in solutions, you can only create a monolingual version.
Creating an online shop with Lightspeed eCommerce
The link will open in a new window Lightspeed eCommerce has a solution not only for the retail sector, but also for the hospitality industry. The system complements common functions with direct interfaces to logistics or inventory management systems.
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- Multilingual: You can create the shop in up to seven languages. No need for an additional app.
- Customer reviews: There is a star and comment function so customers can rate your products.
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- Prices: The starting price is comparatively high. If you only want to create a small shop, there are more cost-effective solutions.
- Digital products: Selling digital products like e-books is not possible. A chargeable app is required for this.
Creating an online shop with WooCommerce
The link will open in a new window WooCommerce is flexible open-source software from WordPress – with no monthly fee for operation. It can be a good option for newcomers taking their first step with an online shop.
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- Prices: Prices are affordable compared to other solutions, some are even free.
- Connections: Numerous connections are available, for example to accounting systems or POS systems.
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- Legal security: You need an additional plug-in to make the shop legally secure – for example with GTC, privacy policy and recall notices.
- Technical expertise: This solution requires some technical expertise. You have to organize your own hosting.
Get your shop up and running
- Choose a software solution and integrate it into your existing website, or create a new URL from which you wish to operate your online shop.
- Provide your products with high-quality images and descriptions. For more tips, read the article “Ensuring e-commerce is successful”.
- Set up the payment methods. With Checkout All-in-one, you get the PostFinance Card, PostFinance e-finance and TWINT payment methods, as well as Visa and Mastercard®, all in one package. Detailed instructions are given in every shop solution where a Checkout option is available.
With all these tips, your products will quickly find customers. Good luck with your online sales!
