B2C E-commerce Index: Switzerland ranks second in the world

Switzerland provides highest number of secure internet servers and most reliable postal services

Oct 31, 2017 15:54Newsroom, S-GE

The B2C E-commerce Index, published by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), evaluates a country’s capacity to support business-to-consumer E-commerce. In the 2017 edition, Switzerland comes second, close behind Luxembourg (1st) and followed by Norway (3rd).

woman using credit card in front of tablet

According to the 2017 index, 89% of Switzerland’s population uses the internet and 98% owns a financial account.

The UNCTAD B2C E‐commerce Index examines an online shopping B2C transaction and the processes involved in it. In order to sell products online, the vendor needs a web presence and must be able to accept online orders. As a customer Internet access is required to place an order. There must be a possibility to exchange money for goods in form of credit card, e-wallet, mobile payment, bank transfer or cash on delivery (financial account) and it requires facilities to deliver the product to the customer. The index reflects the share of individuals using internet, the share of individuals with some form of a financial account, secure internet servers per 1 million people and the UPU postal reliability score.

Switzerland provides most secure internet servers

According to the 2017 index, 89% of Switzerland’s population uses the internet and 98% owns a financial account. Switzerland is head of the table when it comes to the number of secure internet servers and the reliability of the postal service. The small country provides 100 secure internet servers per 1 million people and the UPU postal reliability score lies at 99%.

In recent years, the volume of data has been exponentially increasing. The high amount of data needs to be stored in secure and safe places. As an innovative country, Switzerland has long ago established excellent infrastructure for online transactions. Together with its economic and political stability, well-trained human resources, distinctive protection against physical threats as well as cyber-attacks, it is an ideal country to set up places for storing sensitive data. In Western Europe, Switzerland has the 5^th largest number of data centers (datencentermap 2017).

Strong data centers

Over the last few years, the area used for data centers in Switzerland has consistently grown by around 10-15%. By now, the floor area of the 73 commercial data centers amounts to 180,000 square meters, which equals to over 24 soccer fields. The data centers are operated and used by a large number of companies and are distributed throughout the country. With the asut Data Center Infrastructure Panel, Switzerland has a national center of excellence. asut’s focus lies on shaping the digital transformation of Switzerland and on providing ideal political, legal and economic frameworks for the entire digital industry.

To find out more about ICT and data centers in Switzerland consult our Handbook for Investors or download our factsheet.

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