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Research - 29.06.2015 - 00:00 

Shopping tourism amounts to billions

With the euro-franc exchange rate floor being lifted in January 2015, shopping tourism has received a new impetus. This is revealed by the latest survey conducted by the Institute of Retail Management at the HSG. 3,000 shopping tourists in German-speaking Switzerland were interviewed.
Source: HSG Newsroom

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30 June 2015. Since the euro-franc exchange rate floor was lifted in January 2015, shopping tourism has received a new impetus. Swiss shoppers are particularly keen on foodstuffs and pharmacy items in the neighbouring areas across the border. They are prepared to travel quite a long way or to purchase things on foreign online platforms in order to profit from the favourable prices.

Prof. Dr. Thomas Rudolph, Dr. Liane Nagengast und Frauke Nitsch from the Institute of Retail Management at the University of St.Gallen (IRM-HSG) examined five Swiss retail industries: foodstuffs, pharmacy, clothing, sports and furnishings.

Food shopping abroad is popular

More than 60% of the interviewees indicate that they buy foodstuffs and pharmacy items abroad at least every now and then. With sports and furnishings, about 30% answer in the affirmative. On average, consumers buy food in the neighbouring areas across the border about 8.5 times a year. Pharmacy items, too, are purchased across the border comparatively frequently, namely 5.4 times a year. With regard to clothing, sports articles and furnishings, purchasing frequency is distinctly lower. Whereas the average shopping amount is lowest with pharmacy items – just under 81 francs – it is relatively high for foodstuffs: about 155 francs. About half of consumers spend an average of more than 100 francs on food purchased abroad. In the case of furnishing articles, the average amount spent is relatively high, namely 628 francs.

In spite of regional differences, Central Switzerland is also affected a great deal by shopping tourism: consumers from the Cantons of Zug, Lucerne, Schwyz and Berne satisfy their demand for goods from the industries examined on the far side of the border. Consumers who live a bit farther from the border are now obviously also prepared to drive abroad for their shopping trips. On average, shopping tourists drive for almost an hour, travelling a distance of approx. 50 kilometres. Almost half of them are willing to drive for more than 40 minutes. More than 20% of consumers are willing to travel for more than an hour. A majority of them use the car to go shopping across the border; only 14% go by public transport.

Online shopping with foreign providers
Shopping tourism in the internet is also gaining ground. Across all the industries, about 30% of consumers have already placed orders with foreign providers in the internet. Whereas among younger consumers between 26 and 39, almost 40% have done so, only just over 20% of older consumers (above 60) have bought articles from foreign providers in the internet. Here, too there are big differences between the industries. Whereas online shopping tourism has a very low volume with foodstuffs and pharmacy items, almost half of consumers have already bought clothes or sports articles from foreign providers in the internet. Furnishings were purchased from foreign providers in the internet by just over a third of consumers.

Bild: Photocase / complize

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