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Cryptos: What the media is saying about our latest payment option

22.3.2019

Translation: machine translated

digitec and Galaxus have recently started accepting cryptocurrencies. Swiss media and international bloggers have been writing their fingers to the bone about this news. Read our press review to find out who thinks the move is groundbreaking and who sees it as a cheap PR stunt.

We hadn't expected this kind of response: With our media release that we are now also accepting a range of cryptocurrencies as a means of payment, we have triggered overwhelming coverage. Not only Swiss media, but also dozens of international crypto bloggers picked up the story and provided analyses for their readers and viewers.

In Switzerland, the news portal "Watson" and the French-speaking Swiss newspaper "Le Temps" kicked things off early in the morning. The quintessence of the "Watson" report: Journalist Daniel Schurter writes that we are indeed making cryptos "definitively suitable for mass use" as a means of payment in Switzerland. Nevertheless, he is of the opinion that the move is "primarily a PR coup". The more than one hundred comments prove that readers are not in agreement either. [[image:20820273]] [[image:20820321]]

The "Le Temps" also takes a rather critical view: Journalist Florent Hiard estimates that the payment option will probably be used rather rarely, because the virtual currencies are still far from being part of the habits of the general population. [[image:20820272]]

"Very early" with the Bitcoin coup

Marc Badertscher from the honoured "Handelszeitung" writes in his analysis that it would be hard to imagine "better timing" for the move. After all, a crypto wave is rolling in both nationally and internationally. But the reality is likely to be different for some time to come: In this country, there is still no need to buy Bitcoin or Ether "or whatever" because of "the good currency". "Coin prices are volatile, fees are high. In short: you pay for it." [[image:20820271]]
Roger Bittel from the specialist blog Cryptowelt.ch has a completely different opinion. In his daily YouTube live programme, he not only sees the new payment option as a "very intelligent marketing move", but also assumes that other retailers will now follow suit. According to Heidi Kölliker from Carpathia's e-commerce blog, Swiss online shops where you can pay with cryptocurrencies are still a rarity. [[video:104419]]
Our one-and-only Dominik Bärlocher was also at DecentraLive in Zug on Thursday for an expert interview. [[video:104407]]

International crypto bloggers react euphorically

Crypto bloggers around the world have reacted euphorically. Allen Scott from Bitcoinist.com, for example, is convinced that now that the "Amazon of Switzerland" has taken "such a bold step", the competition must follow suit. And Nicholas Ruggieri from Ethnews.com is pleased with how casually Digitec Galaxus is handling the topic: "It's just so ... easy-going. In the announcement, Herren jokes that he's "expecting all the crypto millionaires in Switzerland to buy from us in the future ;-)," emoticon and all."
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And finally, we don't want to deprive you of the Photoshop skills of Janet Sanchez from Coinnounce.com and Adrian Zmudzinski from Cointelegraph.com: [[image:20820269]]

Now it's your turn

What is your opinion? Will our new payment option hit like a bomb? Or is the supposed innovation a damp squib? We look forward to your discussion and your participation in our survey.

Cryptos

Do you plan to pay with cryptocurrencies on digitec and Galaxus in the future?

Of course. I'm right up there with you.
17%
Let's see.
19%
Surely not. I'm not giving away my cryptos. #hodl
13%
No. I don't have any cryptos.
51%

The competition has ended.

27 people like this article

Alex Hämmerli

Senior Public Relations Manager

Alex.Haemmerli@digitecgalaxus.ch

At Digitec and Galaxus, I’m in charge of communication with journalists and bloggers. Good stories are my passion – I am always up to date.

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