E-commerce websites for Swiss SMEs
E-commerce Website in Switzerland: TWINT, VAT and Swiss Post Done Right
We build WooCommerce shops for Swiss businesses and quote each one in writing before we start. First, though, an honest question this page helps you answer: do you need a shop at all?
- Written quote first
- Swiss payment methods
- German and English
A properly built WooCommerce shop in Switzerland starts at around CHF 10,000, including TWINT, PostFinance and card payments, product templates and the legal pages a Swiss shop needs. Running it costs more than a normal website: maintenance for business-critical shops is usually CHF 300 to 600 or more a month.
We build shops on WooCommerce and quote each one individually, in writing, before work begins. Shops are not part of our CHF 49 website subscription.
What usually goes wrong with Swiss shops
No TWINT, no invoice
International templates miss the payment methods Swiss customers expect, and carts get abandoned at checkout.
The quote stops at launch
Shop maintenance often costs CHF 300 to 600 or more a month, and many quotes never mention it.
A shop nobody needed
If most sales start with a question, a good website with clear prices often sells just as well for far less.
We build WooCommerce shops for Swiss businesses, with TWINT, PostFinance and card payments, Swiss VAT and shipping. Every shop gets a written quote before we start, and an honest answer if you don’t need one.
Do you need a shop at all?
A shop is the most expensive kind of website to build and to keep running. It’s worth it when people buy without talking to you first. If most sales still start with a question, a simpler setup often sells just as well. We’d rather say that now than build you something you have to maintain for years.
| Your situation | What usually fits | Rough cost |
|---|---|---|
| Custom work, every order is discussed | Website with a good enquiry form and clear prices | From CHF 49 a month |
| A few products or vouchers, low volume | Website plus payment links or invoice | Website plus payment provider fees |
| 10 to a few hundred products, people buy directly | WooCommerce shop | From about CHF 10,000, individual quote |
| Thousands of products, ERP, several countries | Specialised shop agency or platform | Usually CHF 30,000 and more |
The bottom row isn’t something we take on. A shop with an inventory system, multi-country tax rules and daily product imports needs a team that does nothing else.
What a Swiss shop needs that international templates miss
| Topic | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Payment | TWINT and PostFinance next to cards. Many Swiss customers drop out if TWINT is missing, and some B2B buyers expect payment by invoice. |
| VAT | 8.1 per cent standard rate, 2.6 per cent for food and books. Consumer prices must be shown including VAT. |
| Shipping | Swiss Post rates and parcel sizes, plus a clear rule for Liechtenstein and abroad, where customs and foreign VAT come in. |
| Legal pages | Full company identification and contact details, terms and conditions, and a privacy notice under the revised Data Protection Act (nFADP). |
| Languages | Products, checkout, emails and invoices in each language, not just the menu. |
Overview, not legal advice. For your terms and conditions, a review by a Swiss lawyer is money well spent.
WooCommerce or Shopify?
| WooCommerce | Shopify | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | Your own hosting, can be in Switzerland | Shopify’s servers, abroad |
| Ongoing fees | Hosting, maintenance, some paid extensions | Monthly plan, apps, possibly transaction fees |
| Flexibility | Very high, anything WordPress can do | High within Shopify’s rules |
| Maintenance | Updates are your or your agency’s job | Platform updates handled by Shopify |
| Content and SEO | Strong, shop and website in one system | Good for products, weaker for content pages |
| Fits best | Shops that are also a content website | Product-heavy shops without in-house tech |
We build on WooCommerce, because most of our clients sell services and products side by side and want one site for both. If Shopify suits you better, we’ll tell you and you’ll save the quote.
The running costs most shop quotes leave out
A shop breaks in more expensive ways than a brochure site. If an update stops the checkout on a Saturday, you lose sales until someone fixes it. That’s why maintenance costs more:
Typical monthly maintenance in Switzerland
Upper end of the usual range, CHF, excl. VAT
Based on publicly advertised Swiss maintenance offers, checked July 2026. Details in our WordPress maintenance cost guide.
Add payment provider fees per transaction, paid extensions for shipping or invoicing, and hosting with enough power for the checkout. Our Swiss WordPress hosting test has a section on what WooCommerce needs from a host.
How we put together a shop quote
We don’t publish a fixed shop price because two shops with “50 products” can differ by a factor of three. One has five variants per product, three languages and invoice payment, the other has one of each. After a scoping call you get a written quote with these points spelled out:
| We ask about | Why it changes the price |
|---|---|
| Number of products and variants | Product templates, filters and the effort to import them |
| Payment methods | Each provider has its own setup and testing |
| Shipping rules | Flat rate is quick, weight and zone rules take longer |
| Languages | Every product, email and legal page per language |
| Connections | Accounting or inventory software, if needed |
| Running the shop | Maintenance level after launch, agreed in writing |
For background reading, see e-commerce web design in Switzerland and what makes an e-commerce website successful.
How we work on shops
Scope and price before any work
After a scoping call you get a written quote with everything included and everything that isn’t.
TWINT, VAT, Swiss Post
Payment, tax and shipping set up for Swiss customers, in German and English.
We tell you if you don’t need a shop
And if Shopify suits you better than WooCommerce, we tell you that too and you save the quote.
Asel Mamytova
Founder of Clear Design Experts. She scopes every shop project herself and writes the quote. Coming from banking, she treats payment setup and running costs as the first question, not the last.
Updated October 2026. VAT rates as set by the Swiss Federal Tax Administration from 2024. Maintenance ranges from publicly advertised Swiss offers, July 2026. Not legal advice.
Online shop FAQ
What does an online shop cost in Switzerland?
A properly built WooCommerce shop starts at around CHF 10,000, including Swiss payment methods and legal pages. Maintenance usually costs CHF 300 to 600 or more a month. We quote each shop individually and in writing.
Is a shop included in the website subscription?
No. The subscription covers business websites up to 10 pages per language. Shops are quoted separately.
Can customers pay with TWINT?
Yes. TWINT, PostFinance and cards can all be connected to WooCommerce through Swiss payment providers.
Can the shop be bilingual?
Yes, including products, checkout, order emails and legal pages in each language.
Do you also build Shopify shops?
No, we build on WooCommerce. If Shopify fits your case better, we’ll tell you in the first call.
Tell us what you want to sell
In a free 30-minute call we work out whether you need a shop, and if so, you get a written quote. Or call: +41 79 570 52 37
