«It was up and running in no time.»
Regional products, gastronomy, tourism and living traditions under one shared brand: today, the Ächt Schwyz association brings together 117 members from a wide range of sectors. The goal is to strengthen regional products and experiences from Schwyz, market them together and thereby create more value within the region.
An important tool for achieving this is the Ächt Schwyz voucher. What once involved pre-printed vouchers, Excel spreadsheets and a great deal of manual administration is now handled digitally with e-guma. In this interview, Barbara Elsener from Ächt Schwyz explains how voucher sales have changed as a result, why even businesses that were initially sceptical are now convinced, and why one thing matters above all for a regional voucher: simplicity.
to the voucher shop to the product shop to the interviewÄcht Schwyz Development facts
The association aims to promote regional culinary products as well as other cultural assets such as arts and crafts and traditional customs in the canton of Schwyz and surrounding municipalities.
Hotels and restaurants, farms and alpine farming businesses, food producers and processors, tourism businesses
To strengthen and jointly market regional culinary products and experiences from Schwyz under the “Ächt Schwyz” label.
Voucher and ticketing system with an online shop for vouchers and events
Approx. 200% FTE
Security and ease of use – for sellers and customers as well as redemption points. e-guma guarantees both.
Interview with Barbara Elsener, Marketing & Projects, Schwyz Tourism AG
The Zurich Oberland and the idea behind the voucher
Ms Elsener, could you briefly introduce Ächt Schwyz and the idea behind the regional voucher?
«The association aims to promote regional culinary products and other cultural assets such as arts and crafts and traditional customs in the canton of Schwyz and surrounding municipalities. Under the Ächt Schwyz brand, we bring together high-quality regional products and experiences from agriculture, food processing, gastronomy, tourism, arts and crafts and culture.
At the same time, we connect the people and businesses involved in these areas. The aim is to encourage greater innovation and create more value within the region. We are also committed to sustainability and to raising awareness among the local population of regional products and experiences.»
What role do gift vouchers play within your offering?
«The Ächt Schwyz voucher is THE perfect way to give the gift of authentic SCHWYZ ENJOYMENT and bring it to a wider audience. It is easy to order and pay for, and thanks to print-at-home, it can be printed out immediately. At the same time, it can be redeemed at a wide range of our participating member businesses.
In addition to vouchers, customers can also use the e-guma voucher system to order Ächt Schwyz gift baskets filled with regional products and have them delivered directly to the recipient.»
From pre-printed vouchers to a digital solution
How did voucher sales and administration work in the past?
«For the first five years, we worked with pre-printed CHF 20, CHF 50 and CHF 100 vouchers, which we dated, stamped and signed by hand. We also maintained separate lists for sales and redemptions.
Our members had to send us all redeemed vouchers together with a collective invoice, after which we transferred the corresponding amounts to them. The vouchers could also only be redeemed in full. Any remaining amount was paid out in cash by the businesses.
Customers were unable to print vouchers directly when ordering online either. Orders were placed by email or phone, and the vouchers then had to be collected or delivered by us. Individual customers could only purchase them at physical sales outlets. The entire process required a great deal of work.»
What challenges did the various sales and redemption points face?
«The workload was also considerable for the sales and redemption points. Proper separate bookkeeping – usually using Excel – was required, and settlements with redemption points took place quarterly or every six months. For statistics, everything had to be compiled manually.
There were also occasional cases of fraud involving copied vouchers. Since the vouchers did not yet feature QR codes, and staff turnover is often high in the hospitality industry, instructions were sometimes lost or forgotten. That can no longer happen with e-guma vouchers.»
What requirements did a new voucher system absolutely have to meet?
«Security and ease of use – for sellers and customers as well as redemption points. e-guma guarantees both.»
How did the introduction of the system go?
«It actually went very smoothly, as we had around 40 restaurant businesses as members at the time. The bigger challenge was that old vouchers were still in circulation at the same time – and some of them still are today.
Today, due to the development from ‹ächt Schwyz Gastro› to ‹Ächt Schwyz›, we have three different types of vouchers. However, thanks to good communication with the businesses as well as our employees at the sales outlets and in administration, we have this well under control.»
How quickly were your sales and redemption points able to start using the system?
«It was up and running in no time. At first, a few businesses – particularly restaurants – were somewhat sceptical: ‹Another app›, ‹I can’t expect my staff to deal with that› or ‹That will never work with our POS system›.
Those concerns disappeared very quickly once everyone realised how easy e-guma is to use. At the same time, the businesses benefit from greater security, receive the money directly into their account when a voucher is redeemed and have significantly less administrative work.
And of course, the strong increase in voucher sales following the introduction of e-guma was also very welcome among our members and sales outlets.»
Which features impressed you the most?
«The simple ordering process for customers, the direct flow of funds thanks to the stored member bank accounts and the clear, easily accessible statistics. The system is also easy for us as operators and sellers to manage, for example when handling cancellations or shipping costs.»
Order online – or buy in person at a sales outlet
In addition to online sales, your vouchers can also be purchased at various physical sales outlets. What are the advantages?
«This is particularly useful for the older generation and for anyone who does not have a printer at home. At the sales outlets, customers also receive a more attractive physical version of the voucher, complete with a nice envelope and an Ächt Schwyz sticker.»
Have voucher sales changed since the system was introduced?
«Absolutely! On the one hand, this is thanks to the strong awareness that Ächt Schwyz and its vouchers have gained over the years. On the other hand, it is due to the many large orders we receive, for example from companies with large numbers of employees. And, last but not least, the e-guma system has of course played an important role.
Voucher sales have increased tremendously. By now, I don’t think there is a single day on which no Ächt Schwyz voucher is sold.»
Less administration, greater security
What has changed the most for you and your partner businesses since introducing e-guma?
«Above all, the simplicity of the process for everyone involved – from customers and sellers to redemption points. Today, we save a noticeable amount of time on administration, ordering and redemption processes, accounting and statistics. At the same time, we benefit from greater security and higher sales.»
Selling regional products online too
In addition to vouchers, Ächt Schwyz also offers regional gift baskets through the e-guma product shop. What role does the product shop play for Ächt Schwyz?
«At the moment, it still plays a relatively small role, as demand is not yet particularly high. Logistics are a challenge, especially when it comes to fresh food, which is why it is currently more of a niche product.
It is possible that the product shop will be expanded one day if producers would like to use it – for example, for Ächt Schwyz merchandise such as shirts, aprons, caps, scarves or kitchen towels.»
What advantages does the product shop offer compared with a traditional ordering process?
«The visibility on our well-visited website, directly alongside the voucher ordering options, is much greater, and the handling is simple.»
Vouchers as a multiplier for the region
How do you promote your vouchers?
«Through social media, events, tourism newsletters and blogs. In addition, we promote them on tourism websites as well as on the websites of our members and supporters, through media releases, PR activities, advertisements, bus advertising and direct marketing to companies.
The run-up to Christmas is particularly important for us, when we position the voucher as a meaningful regional gift idea.»
How important are the vouchers for regional value creation?
«They are very important for our member businesses. When it comes to vouchers, you also shouldn’t underestimate the positive side effect of attracting new customers.
If a guest visits a business for the first time, is satisfied and comes back, they may also recommend the business and/or Ächt Schwyz to others.»
«In the end, it pays off»
What advice would you give to other organisations looking to introduce a regional voucher?
«Work with a partner like e-guma right from the start. The workload is so much lower, and sales grow very quickly. Once people have ordered once, they order again.
Vouchers with a wide range of redemption options are particularly popular gifts today for people who already have everything. And that’s pretty much all of us. Even if the commission may seem daunting at first: in the end, it pays off.»
Why would you choose e-guma again?
«Because the system is extremely easy to use, already very well known and particularly widely used within the tourism industry. The quality is high – and, as I said, it has the best support team I could imagine. Very personal, collaborative, service- and solution-oriented, and highly committed. Compliments!»
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