Black Friday online rush as Covid-19 influences consumers
The second wave of coronavirus is affecting how people shop and what they buy.
Keystone / Marcial Guillen
As the “Black Friday” cut-price offers kicked off, Swiss retailers expect online sales to be particularly good. The pandemic is affecting not only how people shop but also what they buy.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/jc
In initial responses, online retailers say customers are rushing to take advantage of the offers.
For example, Digitec Galaxus, Switzerland’s biggest online retailer, says it got off to “a very good start” with the first products selling out shortly after midnight. Company spokesman David Kübler told the AWP news agency that vacuum cleaners and coffee machines were selling like “hot cakes”. Particularly popular this year are cell phones, computers and televisions, as well as all kinds of household articles and toys, he added.
The Brack.ch online shop also said Black Friday sales had started well, with consumer electronics and IT products the most popular items. Spokesman Daniel Rei said the company noticed significantly more visitors to its site during the night, but its servers withstood the high volume of traffic.
This was not the case for Coop subsidiary Interdiscount, whose site went down temporarily. Coop spokesperson Andrea Ruberti said it was assumed that this was because of a huge rush for Black Friday offers. The site is now up again.
Not surprisingly, first indications are that people are not rushing so much to the shops as in the past. For example, Swiss broadcaster RTS reports that on Friday in the western city of Lausanne the shopping streets were not packed, but rather like a Saturday. People are choosing to buy particularly in large quantities, it reports.
Swiss climate activists block vehicles near Gotthard tunnel
This content was published on
Around ten climate activists briefly blocked the A2 motorway near the northern entrance of the Gotthard tunnel on Thursday.
Watches belonging to Michael Schumacher up for auction
This content was published on
Schumacher's family is auctioning off eight rare watches from his collection in Geneva. The Christie's auction will take place on Monday.
Joya Marleen and Baschi named best solo acts at Swiss Music Awards
This content was published on
St. Gallen singer Joya Marleen and Baschi from Basel were named artists of the year at the Swiss Music Awards 2024 on Wednesday night.
Swiss authorities announce cost-cutting in asylum sector
This content was published on
The government notably wants to improve integration into the labour force, particularly for people with protection status S.
Various leaders confirm participation at Ukraine peace conference
This content was published on
The presidents of Poland, Finland, and Latvia and the prime ministers of Spain and Belgium will be at the Swiss-hosted talks in mid-June.
This content was published on
In the winter season up to April 2024, railway and cable car operators ferried 3% more visitors compared to the previous winter, and 5% more than the five-year average.
Rhine flooding: Swiss to invest CHF1 billion with Austria
This content was published on
As part of an international agreement with Austria, the Swiss government wants to pump CHF1 billion ($1.1 billion) into flood protection measures along the Rhine over the next three decades.
Swiss government proposes CHF10 million UNRWA donation
This content was published on
After months of debate, Switzerland plans to give CHF10 million ($11 million) to the UN agency this year, rather than the CHF20 million initially foreseen.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Swiss Black Friday draws shoppers
This content was published on
Black Friday appears to be meeting the expected consumer success in Switzerland this year, although not everyone agrees with it.
This content was published on
Electronics and fashion goods dominated orders. Food accounted for just 2.8% of the total goods consumed (up from 1.8% in 2018), but the report’s authors expect orders to increase this year with people reluctant to go to supermarkets in view of the coronavirus outbreak. Online shoppers predominantly favoured Swiss products, spending CHF8.3 billion in domestic…
This content was published on
Coronavirus lockdown has changed Swiss consumer habits as well as reduced the use of cash and cash machines, according to a survey.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.