Preferred E-Commerce Platforms in France
The COVID-19 crisis has given rise to new consumption habits in France. The successive confinements and the closure of the majority of physical stores have led consumers to turn to e-commerce, which has seen its market share in household spending increase considerably. Here are some of the most preferred e-commerce platforms in the country to look out for:
E-Commerce in France during the Pandemic
In 2020, before the pandemic forced the government to take restrictive measures, the share of online sales represented no more than 10% of retail trade as a whole, and was growing steadily, by around 1 point per year. «At the end of 2020, the progression was almost 4 points,” observed Marc Lolivier, general delegate of the Federation of E-Commerce and Distance Selling (FEVAD). The trend continued in 2021. The FEVAD published its e-commerce report in France based on data from leading merchant websites in their sector and data from 9 secure payment platforms. E-commerce has returned to double-digit growth in 2021, with 129.1 billion euros spent on the Internet on products and services, up from +8.5% in 2020.
The Preferred Platforms in France
Amazon dominates e-commerce websites, accounting for 52.1% of Internet users who made an online purchase in 2021 (compared to 53.7% in 2020). The other two French players on the podium are Cdiscount (22.6% of purchases) and Fnac (19.9%). It is also worth noting the rise of the second-hand market, as evidenced by Vinted’s meteoric rise to sixth place in the top ten merchant websites (+3 compared to last year). Finally, seven French players appear in the top ten e-commerce sites ranking.
This ranking has been significantly influenced by the pandemic and border closures, which have increased the number of visits to traditional e-commerce platforms while decreasing those to travel and accommodation online platforms such as Booking and Expedia. However, the decline of these platforms is also linked to the proliferation of market players and the integration of a price comparator into the services provided by Google. Will Google’s new services redistribute the cards in e-commerce? Only time will tell.
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