At Galaxus non-perishable foods are booming

Galaxus’ supermarket business is riding a wave of success. In the first half of 2023 a seven-digit figure of cartons, bottles, cans, bags or tubes of non-perishable foods were purchased by the customers of the online department store in Switzerland. Overall, that’s 80 per cent more products than in the same period in 2022.

In particular milk and cream sales at Galaxus greatly increased. Within a year, almost eight times as many packages were despatched (+680%). Litre packs of oat, coconut and soy drinks are particularly popular, followed by cow's milk and coffee cream. Galaxus also saw strong growth in sales of pasta (+405%), instant coffee (+278%) and legumes + Cereal grains (+250%). Customers doubled their purchases of a total of 15 product types.

«Our product range is becoming more and more popular with our customers», says Karina Stump, who is responsible for the supermarket range at Galaxus as Leader Category Management. Karina and her team are doing a lot to ensure success: «We’re working on the product range at every turn – from building our purchasing sources, optimising product data and store structure to offering daily promotions.»

Caffeine kick for Galaxus customers

Coffee capsules take the lead in the bestseller list at Galaxus. In the first half of 2023 customers ordered a six-figure number of packs. In general, ordering caffeine off the internet is popular, as tea, coffee beans and coffee pods also rank in the top 20. Next on the leader’s podium is baby food and sweets. The up-and-comers from the «Milk + Cream» group have risen from 17th to 5th place within the space of a year.

Supermarket expert Karina sees four reasons for the boom of non-perishable food sales at Galaxus. First, it’s the price: «Thanks to bulk discounts, we can offer our customers very attractive prices.» An evaluation of Digitec Galaxus for March 2023 showed that four out of ten purchases are made with a bulk discount. In the supermarket range, the rate was as high as 86 per cent.

Karina spots another reason why customers want convenience: «Many have had enough of lugging their shopping around: They’d rather have their oat milk, their kilo pack of liquorice or their protein powder delivered to their home.»

Plus Galaxus has products in its range which aren’t always easy to get in Switzerland. Tanja Lehmann, who as Category Business Manager sometimes coordinates purchasing, names some examples; a Pinsa flour made from wheat, rice and soy, a particularly spicy Wiri-Wiri chili flakes from Guyana or the sugar paste «Massa Ticino» which is popular with bakers and confectioners.

On top of this, Galaxus offers free delivery when you spend just 50 francs or more, whereas the online shops of supermarkets operating in Switzerland even charge a delivery fee for purchases of 100 francs or more. «As a result those who don’t want heavy items in their trolley when doing their weekly shop, sometimes like to buy them from us», Karina suspects.

No frozen pizza at Galaxus

Karina anticipates continued strong sales growth in non-perishable foods this year and in the years ahead. Perishable food and beverages, on the other hand, won’t be available at Galaxus for the foreseeable future. «We’ll leave that to the supermarkets with their specialised cold storage and supply chains», Karina says.

What food is missing from the Galaxus selection? Which food would you highly recommend to the community? And where are you most likely to grab a bulk discount? Let us know in the comments!