It’s been a fragile month already for economies all over the globe.

But for some on the Continent, the answer could well lie in the power of the strong Swiss Franc. With the Swiss Franc at a record high, frugal locals are abandoning native shops and heading elsewhere for their wares. Germany is a favourite shopping destination for the Swiss at the moment, with the Euro giving them far more bang for their buck (or indeed, Swiss Franc).

With shoppers saving up to 50% on all purchases made over the border, many Swiss residents are exchanging their Swiss Franc into the Euro and flocking to Germany to snap up bargains. But for those who don’t live within driving distance, or who just don’t fancy the trip to Germany, it stands to reason that those Swiss residents will also be heading online to make some smart savings.

And what better way to speak to online Swiss customers than by appealing to them in their own language (using a professional translator) via the foreign language internet? Not only will your site be more prominent, owing to there being less content on the foreign language web, but research shows that people are four times more likely to make a purchase online if they have information in their own language.

And, according to Friedhelm Schaal, the head of economic development in Konstanz, Germany, and the Swiss are far more likely to open their wallets: “The average Swiss customer spends 30% more than the average German,” he said.

While 60% of Swiss residents speak German, it should be noted that Swiss-German has many different characteristics than regular German. For a thorough run-down of the differences, stay tuned to this blog where we’ll be posting a handy guide on marketing to Swiss-German speakers later this week.

tags: marketing to Swiss-German speakers, non-English internet, Swiss Franc, Swiss-German