The French e-commerce market ranks 7th globally, and consumers have been accustomed to online shopping for several years. With widespread internet access, the market has boomed. Marketplaces like Leboncoin, Amazon, and Cdiscount dominate, capturing the majority of sales.
The French e-commerce market ranks 7th globally, and consumers have been accustomed to online shopping for several years. With widespread internet access, the market has boomed. Marketplaces like Leboncoin, Amazon, and Cdiscount dominate, capturing the majority of sales.
90% of online purchases are made on marketplaces, while only 56% of consumers buy directly from online stores. The most popular categories are:
French shoppers buy more games, toys, and books than the European average. The average basket size is €113.60. Millennials spend more, with an average basket of €143, while Gen Z spends less (€78 on average), particularly in the "fashion and accessories" category.
There are two main reasons for cart abandonment at checkout:
30% of French consumers do not report if they’ve had a poor delivery experience with an online store. The preferred delivery methods in France are:
32% of French online shoppers care about the choice of carrier, the lowest rate in Europe. When they do, they prefer Colissimo or Chronopost.
77% of French e-consumers have returned a product, and 69% expect the e-retailer to cover the costs (the highest rate in Europe). The two most important elements of a return policy are:
French shoppers pay close attention to the refund period, tolerating a maximum of 6 days.
46% of orders come from international sources, a figure nearly equal to the European average of 45%. Three reasons for not shopping online:
When shopping internationally, French e-shoppers primarily buy from China (54%), the UK (24%), and the US (21%). E-commerce in France represents over 270'000 online retailers, 18% growth in 2020, and 62% of French people who have already purchased products online.
