How To Buy Groceries Online in Switzerland

There are many products which Swiss frequently buy online. While up until now, that has rarely included groceries, the situation surrounding the coronavirus has boosted online grocery shopping in Switzerland.

In this guide, moneyland.ch answers the most important questions and offers useful tips for buying food and other groceries over the Internet.

Which kinds of online grocery stores are there in Switzerland?

Online stores which deliver food items fall into three broad categories:

• Online supermarkets offer a large selection of groceries – including dry goods, fresh produce, and often frozen foods as well.
• Express delivery services for groceries which deliver orders within one hour or less.
• Online stores which offer dry comestibles, but do not sell fresh, refrigerated or frozen foods.

Which online supermarkets are there in Switzerland?

The two biggest Swiss online supermarkets are Migros Online and Coop, but there are a few other options. Major online supermarkets in Switzerland include:

• Aldi Now: Discounter Aldi Suisse has run a delivery service in the Zurich region since the end of 2021.
• Coop: Retail giant Coop delivers groceries and other items countrywide.
• Farmy: Farmy positions itself as an online farm stall and farmers’ market. It works with many small suppliers (bakeries, for example).
• Migros Online: The online supermarket from Migros delivers groceries and other goods right throughout Switzerland. It was previously called Leshop.
• Volgshop: Volg, which operates small supermarkets in rural areas, delivers groceries in around 1200 municipalities across Switzerland.

All of these online supermarkets also deliver fresh produce, refrigerated foods, and drinks in addition to dry goods. With the exception of Volgshop, frozen foods are also available. Aside from food, online supermarkets also offer a wide array of non-food items like cleaning supplies, toiletries and toilet paper. Of the online supermarkets listed above, only Coop, Migros Online and Farmy deliver in all of Switzerland.

It is not uncommon for stores to dissapear from the market. For example, Migros has terminated its My Migros and Amigos online supermarkets.

Overview of Swiss online supermarkets

Farmy is currently revising its terms and conditions. For this reason, Farmy is not included in the table at the moment.
* Coop charges an additional fee of 5 francs for same-day deliveries.

Which express delivery services for groceries are there in Switzerland?

Fast-delivery online grocery stores promise very short delivery times for groceries. Typically, express delivery services offer a small selection of fresh and refrigerated foods, and some popular dry goods (like noodles, for example). Their main focus is on snacks, drinks, and convenience items.

Many different quick-delivery stores operated between 2021 and 2023, but currently, Alfies is the only widely-available express-delivery online grocery service.

Alfies delivers orders within one hour in the city of Zurich and within two hours in some nearby municipalities. Alfies offers a selection of products for everyday use. Its assortment of products is made up primarily of brand-name goods. The minimum order size is 29 francs. For orders under 59 francs, you pay a 4.95-franc delivery fee called "minimum quantity surcharge".

In certain locations, the food delivery service Just Eat may also be an alternative: the provider delivers some products from local Spar supermarkets. Conditions may vary depending on location.

Online quick-delivery grocery stores that have vanished from the Swiss market include Avec Now (Valora), Famy X-Press, Migrolino (Migros group), and Stash (acquired by Alfies).

Which providers sell groceries online without a fresh produce section?

Your choices of Swiss online supermarkets and grocery delivery services offering fresh produce may be limited, but there are numerous Swiss online stores that sell non-perishable foods. These are long-lasting grocery items that do not require refrigeration, such as noodles, nuts, oil, preserves, rice, and sugar, among others.  

• Galaxus: The biggest Swiss online store also stocks many food products and other items normally found in supermarkets.
• Brack: Major online retailer Brack also offers many food items and goods typically sold in supermarkets.
• Landi: Many of the products that Landi offers in its stores are available online – including groceries like cleaning supplies, drinks, staples, and toiletries. 
• Manor: The Swiss department store chain’s online shop offers a selection of delicatessen and snacks, as well as wine and other drinks.

There are also many specialized online shops, such as stores which specialize in foods from specific countries, tea, coffee, or chocolate. 

Overview of online stores with non-perishable foods:

* Minimum quantity surcharge of 9 francs (Brack) or 4.90 francs (Galaxus).
** Landi charges a fixed delivery fee for each box (0.135 m3 volume) or drinks pack (sixpacks, for example).

Do all supermarket chains in Switzerland have online supermarkets?

Aldi, Coop, Migros, and Volg are the only Swiss supermarket chains which offer online supermarkets. Other major supermarket chains do not yet have online stores. These include Denner, Lidl, and Spar. Denner does have an online shop dedicated to wine. In some locations, you can order products from the nearby Spar supermarket via the food delivery service Just Eat.

Is buying groceries online cheaper than buying in stores?

Many retailers – including Aldi, Coop, Migros, and Volg – charge the same prices in their brick-and-mortar and online supermarkets. However, their physical supermarkets often stock many affordable products which are not available online. The result is that you often pay more for groceries online than in supermarkets.

Express delivery services often charge prices which are higher than what you would pay in supermarkets.

Make sure to account for delivery costs as well. It is generally safe to assume that shopping online is more expensive than buying your groceries at supermarkets. 

What do deliveries cost?

Delivery fees vary broadly between retailers – ranging between 3.00 and 16.90 francs per delivery. Some online stores charge lower fees when your bill exceeds certain thresholds. Some merchants waive delivery fees altogether when you spend a certain amount, or more. 

The systems used to calculate delivery fees are complicated. Landi is an exception to this rule. It has a flat delivery fee per box or, for drinks, per unit/pack.

It is important to understand that many online shops will only deliver at all if the cost of your shopping reaches or exceeds a minimum purchase requirement.

You can find the delivery fees, and the minimum purchase requirements, in the charts above.

Migros Online gives you the option of paying a monthly flat fee for deliveries. The flat fee is 9.90 to 14.90 francs. Migros charges the lower price when you pay the flat fees for the full year in advance.

Where do online grocery stores deliver to?

Only Coop, Farmy, and Migros Online deliver fresh produce and refrigerated foods, dry goods, and frozen foods right throughout Switzerland. Online stores which sell dry edible goods normally deliver to any address in the country. 

Many online grocery stores only make deliveries in specific regions. Some further limit deliveries to specific parts of a city or area. So a good first step is to check which stores will deliver groceries to your address.

The charts above provide a basic overview of where different online grocery stores will deliver to.

Where are the groceries delivered from?

There are big differences in how different shops handle deliveries. It is beneficial for customers to know where the foods they buy is delivered from, as it has an impact on delivery time, and on reliability.

The big online supermarkets Coop, Farmy, and Migros Online, and many online general stores like Galaxus and Brack deliver from central warehouses. Orders are processed, packed, and delivered from these national distribution centers.

Aldi Now, Landi, and Volgshop use a different approach. When you place an order at these online stores, an employee at a nearby brick-and-mortar supermarket collects the groceries you ordered directly from the store shelves and packs them for delivery. Because of this, the chance of certain items you ordered no being delivered is higher. This could happen if, for example, a certain product gets sold out off the store shelves between the time you place your order and the time it is packed.

How are groceries delivered?

Coop, Farmy, and Migros transport groceries in delivery vans. Farmy stresses the fact that it normally uses electric delivery vehicles.

Alfies and Aldi Now either have their own drivers, or contract drivers from a third-party service provider.

Many online stores – including Brack, Galaxus, Landi, and Volg – use parcel delivery services to transport groceries.

Can the amount on my bill change after I place an order?

Yes, the final amount you have to pay can still change after you place your order. When you use a credit card to pay, online grocery stores will normally place a hold for a slightly higher amount, and then charge the final amount you owe at a later point in time. 

There are a number of reasons why the final amount may be higher than the price shown at the checkout:

• Products like fruits vegetables, cheese, and meat are often priced by weight. Because weights – and therefore prices – vary slightly between individual packages, the prices shown online are estimates rather than actual price tags.
• If the exact product you order is not available, it may be replaced by a similar product. Often, you have the option of specifying what should happen if a given product on your order list is no longer available.

Can I choose the delivery time?

Online supermarkets Aldi Now, Coop, Farmy, and Migros Online let you choose your delivery time from a number of available timeframes. Normally, you can specify a one-hour timeframe during which the delivery will be made. 

When demand is very high, your order may be placed on a waiting list. You may also not be able to choose a timeframe for your grocery delivery because the online supermarket has more orders than it is capable of dealing with.

Alfies and Just Eat (when delivering products from a nearby Spar supermarket), on the other hand, always begin delivering your groceries right after you place your order.

How big is the selection of groceries at online stores?

If you have bought electronics, computers, clothes, and many other products online, you are probably used to having a much bigger selection online than in brick-and-mortar stores. But for online grocery shopping, the opposite generally applies. Even the product selections of the biggest Swiss online supermarkets from Coop an Migros are very limited compared to the variety available in their corresponding physical supermarkets. The most affordable products (like the M-Budget and Prix Garantie lines) often cannot be found in online supermarkets.

Volgshop does not offer any products in Volg’s budget family lineup, as these bulk items are large in relation to their value. Volg does not offer these online out of consideration for the limited space in parcel delivery vehicles.

Can I earn customer loyalty points for my online supermarket shopping?

You generally earn the exact same amount of reward points as you do when you shop at brick-and-mortar grocery stores. You only have to save your customer loyalty card information once in your online account. After that, your points are automatically credited every time you shop, which is very practical. Migros Online rewards you with Cumulus points (except for alcohol purchases), Coop rewards you with Superpoints, and Farmy rewards you with Bonus Eggs. 

But there are exceptions: You do not get any Volg stamps when you buy groceries online at Volgshop and have them delivered to your address.

Are there any ways to save or get more when shopping online?

Various online stores offer vouchers to attract customers. These can often be found on coupon websites like Deindeal, Rabattcorner, and Sparfuchs, and in newspapers like 20 Minutes, Blick, and the Coop and Migros magazines. Migros and Coop also send out vouchers to their loyalty program members regularly. Unfortunately, many of the vouchers for online supermarkets are only for new subscribers.

Typically, vouchers give you a discount (15 francs or 10 percent, for example). It is also common for online grocery stores to waive delivery fees as part of special promotions.

What should I consider before clicking or tapping the order button?

Before checking out, take a moment to review your shopping cart and look at whether you ordered to much or too little of each item. Ask yourself whether there is anything you forgot to order. Check the final, total price carefully before you pay. Check whether any delivery fees or value added tax (VAT) have been added. Some costs may only be added in the last step of the checkout process. Carefully checking the price is especially important when you shop at online stores which you are not yet familiar with.

Can I collect my shopping instead of having it delivered?

Many online supermarkets give you the option of collecting your groceries. In this case, the service is more like a classic curbside pickup service than online shopping. You could also simply do your shopping in-store if you will be going there anyway.

Can I also order groceries from foreign online stores?

Few foreign online supermarkets deliver to Switzerland. Those that do only export dry goods. Some shops deliberately target Swiss consumers. 

When you shop at foreign online stores, make sure to check whether or not you will be charged customs duties. This is normally clearly stated on the website.

You should also be aware that Swiss credit cards have foreign transaction fees. Many neobanks do not have these fees, and exchange rates are normally more favorable than those of credit cards. You should also make sure to avoid dynamic currency conversion (DCC): If you are asked whether you want to pay in Swiss francs when checking out, make sure to turn down this offer and choose to pay in the local currency.

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