Ikea, Adidas and soon digitec and Galaxus?

Anne Chapuis

27.9.2019

Translation: machine translated

It's becoming increasingly common for customers to be on a first-name basis. Some people are offended by it, others don't care... But what about you?

When you're a translator juggling different languages, you're often more sensitive to cultural differences than others. Words, expressions, rules of politeness, etc. nothing should escape us. Certain points are often called into question as a result of changes in language and customs or influences from another language. First and last names are no exception to this rule either.

Many brands - such as Ikea, Adidas, Sunrise... - have abandoned the practice of addressing customers in the formal sense of the word in favour of the informal one. And now it's the turn of digitec and Galaxus to break this barrier...

I often thought to myself "but we didn't keep the pigs together" when a stranger started being on a first-name basis with me. For some of my colleagues and acquaintances, it's the same when a company or departments use first names.

Digitec Galaxus has its values: cooperative, innovative, piratical, responsible and ambitious. To be all of these things, we sometimes have to take risks, bigger or smaller. We've often wondered whether it's possible to be innovative and piratical while continuing to be polite to customers... We are certain that it is. What do you think?

Anne Chapuis

Senior Translator French

anne.chapuis@digitecgalaxus.ch

I left my native Savoy for beautiful Switzerland, where I live a life dominated by two big passions: sewing and shooting. Both in perfect Swiss German of course – thanks mum!

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