Before the first order arrives, a wine shop needs an address, a checkout that knows the usual Swiss payment methods, shipping prices that suit a case of wine, and a few legal pages. This guide works through them in order, for anyone planning a shop or comparing providers, and shows for each what Vinosoft brings and what stays your job.
The address: vinosoft.shop or your own domain
To start, a free address such as weingut-muster.vinosoft.shop is enough. It is online immediately, with no DNS setup.
For the long run your own domain is worth it, for example shop.weingut-muster.ch or simply weingut-muster.ch. You add a single DNS record at your domain provider: an A record for the main domain or a CNAME for a subdomain. Vinosoft shows the value on the Domains screen. Vinosoft issues the SSL certificate for the encrypted connection automatically. You can point several domains at the same shop, for example the old one and the new one.
Tip: if your website already runs on the main domain, use a subdomain such as shop. for the shop. The website stays where it is, and the shop only needs a CNAME.
The checkout: payment methods
Swiss customers expect TWINT and invoice. The Vinosoft shop offers:
- TWINT, credit and debit cards and PostFinance through PostFinance Checkout or Payrexx
- PayPal
- Saferpay (Worldline) and Wallee, if you already have a contract there
- Invoice, prepayment and cash, with no payment provider
For the online payment methods you sign a contract with the provider and enter its credentials in Vinosoft; the provider bills its transaction fees to you directly. For each payment method you decide which documents a paid order creates, such as order confirmation, delivery note and invoice.
Orders from the shop land in the same order list as sales at the till and reserve the same stock.
Shipping and collection
You create your own shipping methods, such as post, courier or collection. The price of a shipping method can be tiered by destination country, order value, postcode, weight and customer group. That covers the usual wine shop rules: free shipping above an order value, separate prices for trade customers, or a cheaper rate in your region. Collection from the winery is its own shipping method, usually with no shipping cost.
Customers can order with an account or, if you allow it, as a guest. Customer accounts keep addresses and orders; vouchers by amount or percentage, with a minimum order value and expiry date, are part of the shop too.
Design and languages
Two themes are included free; two more cost CHF 250 each, one-off. You adjust colours, navigation, banners and pages in the shop, and if you want more, you edit the theme's code directly. The themes ship with German and English texts. For a shop in French or Italian you add your own translations of the shop texts.
The shop runs on Microsoft Azure in an EU region. It is included in the Vinosoft Enterprise edition.
Legal requirements for Swiss online shops
Vinosoft does not write legal texts. You write them yourself or have them written, and publish them in the shop as static pages. In the checkout, Vinosoft links your terms and privacy policy and, if you want, requires the buyer to accept the terms before ordering.
What you need in Switzerland:
- Imprint. Anyone selling online must state clearly and completely who they are, with a postal address and email address (Art. 3 para. 1 let. s of the Unfair Competition Act, UWG).
- Privacy policy. The revised Data Protection Act has applied since 1 September 2023: you explain which personal data you process and why, who you pass it to (payment providers, for example) and in which country it is held.
- Cookies. The Telecommunications Act (Art. 45c FMG) requires you to inform visitors about cookies and explain how to refuse them. If you also sell into the EU, stricter consent rules apply there.
- Prices. The Price Disclosure Ordinance requires prices in Swiss francs, including VAT and any levies. The shop shows prices per bottle and per litre and shows the VAT in the checkout.
- Terms. Not mandatory, but customary: delivery times, payment, warranty and returns. Swiss law has no statutory right of withdrawal for online purchases; if you accept returns, set that out in your terms.
- Age checks. No wine or beer under 16, no spirits under 18, with an effective check and a minimum-age notice in the shop. Details: Age verification when selling alcohol online.
Launch checklist
- Address chosen: vinosoft.shop or your own domain with a DNS record
- At least one online payment method set up and tested, plus invoice or prepayment
- Shipping methods with prices entered, collection included
- Imprint, privacy policy and terms published as static pages and linked in the checkout
- Product category for the age check set on every alcoholic article
- A test order run through to the invoice
The bigger picture, including Galaxus and price comparison sites: Building a wine webshop in Switzerland. Everything else the shop does is on the Webshop page.
As of October 2026. This guide is no substitute for legal advice; have your terms and privacy policy reviewed by a professional.
