Four million. That’s how many customers bought something from Galaxus or Digitec in 2023. While three million of them made their purchases in Switzerland, the biggest growth came from Germany, Austria and other EU countries. Some of the reasons customers are being attracted to the online shops are the new transparency features and a growing DIY, supermarket and beauty range.
Online department store Galaxus and electronics specialist Digitec saw particularly strong growth when the pandemic hit in 2020. That year, over 50% more customers shopped at the Swiss market leader duo compared to 2019. And in the years that followed, annual percentage growth remained in the double-digit range.
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Male, Swiss, shops during working hours
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Since 2015, Digitec Galaxus has managed to increase its active customer base more than fivefold. Between January and December 2023, 4.09 million people made at least one purchase from the online retailer. In Switzerland, the number of active customers increased by 12% within a year to 3.06 million. In the EU country markets the increase was 39% to 1.03 million. Although Galaxus is available in Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands, the retailer’s currently placing its main focus on Germany and Austria.
«I’m proud to see we’re inspiring more and more customers with our service,» says Florian Teuteberg, CEO and Managing Director of Digitec Galaxus and its subsidiary Galaxus Deutschland GmbH. «The basis for our success is our wide range and attractive prices, good availability and fast delivery.» These days, however, the decisive factor is that shopping’s convenient and enjoyable. «Good looks and a simple product search alone won’t cut it anymore. Online shops need to offer inspiration,» says Florian. Galaxus and Digitec cater for this with editorial content, clever purchase suggestions and a lively exchange within the Community. «This sets us apart from the competition.» The online retailer’s also increasingly focusing on transparency. This includes displaying products’ historical price development as well as providing information about carbon emissions and warranty scores and return rates.
The ongoing growth rate is also driven by the success of the DIY, supermarket and beauty range. In 2023, Galaxus sold over 20 per cent more DIY + Garden products, over 70 per cent more foodstuff and almost 50 per cent more beauty and health products. The retailer is currently investing heavily in expanding its DIY range and making its prices even more attractive thanks to volume discounts.
Your typical Galaxus and Digitec customer is male, between 30 and 39 years old and lives in Switzerland. However, the numbers regarding age and gender should be taken with a pinch of salt. After all, people in the same household often use a joint customer account. A more reliable source of information is the numbers for purchases made on mobile devices. More than half of customers now use their smartphones to shop at Galaxus and Digitec. This wasn’t always the case. In early 2016, 80 per cent of customers still placed orders on their computer.
There are also major differences in shopping behaviour depending on the day of the week and time of day. The most popular day for online shopping is Monday. To somewhat reduce the pressure on staff in logistics, who have to deal with that flood of orders, Digitec Galaxus introduced a slow delivery option at checkout. By contrast, people don’t seem to be in the mood for shopping on Saturdays. Customers tend to shop more just before their lunch breaks (between 11 a.m. and 12 noon), before the end of an office work day (4 p.m. to 5 p.m.) and then again after dinner (9 p.m. to 10 p.m.). Compared to previous years (link in German), customers now shop more often in the evenings – presumably because of the ongoing trend of using a mobile device for shopping. After all, buying that monthly supply of diapers and those new headphones is quick and convenient to do from the comfort of your bed or sofa.
