In this five part series, in partnership with Cdiscount, we will examine the French ecommerce market and explore what UK sellers need to know about selling in France. In our first post we looked at the state of French ecommerce and today we look at the French Shopper:
The French Shopper
French citizens are confident digital adopters: as of 2019, 90% of the population, or 65.4 million French citizens used the internet, according to the Ecommerce Foundation.
This also translates to online shopping: 40.1 million French people shopped online in the final quarter of 2019. A study by Kantar Worldpanel found that 69% of French people aged 18 and over make an annual average of 19 orders of a physical product on the internet, worth an average amount of €57 (year to September 2018).
Online shopping is more popular amongst French men than women, with 89.4% of men shopping online but only 85.6% of women. In terms of age groups, according to a Mediametrie study in September 2019, 24 to 34-year-olds are the most common online shoppers, with 96.4% of this age group shopping online.
The figure was 94.4% for 18 to 24-year-olds, 93.3% for 35 to 49-year-olds. For 50 to 64-year olds the figure was 86.3% while for those over 65% it is 84.7%.
French consumers are willing to shop from foreign sellers. According to a report by the International Postal Corporation, 44% of French consumers shop from China while 13% shop from the UK.
According to findings from Adobe’s Experience Index Report, which surveyed more than 3,000 consumers from across Europe on their expectations of brands across sectors, French people have high expectations from online shopping.
They were more likely than others to abandon shopping carts due to overcomplicated or time consuming purchase processes. 50% of consumers from France were willing to abandon a cart, compared to 43% in the UK and 41% in Germany. One in three French customers said they would never buy again from a brand based on one negative experience. Fevad data suggests 98% of e-buyers are satisfied with their online purchases in the past 12 months.
French customers are also expecting retailers to be more sustainable; according to a report by Santander Trade, 70% of French people expect companies to make an effort in terms of sustainable development. France passed a law earlier this year banning the dumping of unsold fashion items. 53% of online shoppers are impacted by environmental, responsible or ethical considerations, while 45% of online shoppers have already purchased recycled, second-hand or refurbished products.
To learn more sign up for our ‘What you need to know about selling in France’ Webinar to be held at the end of this series on the 1st of October. Register here.
