Retail e-commerce spending in France is estimated to reach €58.84 billion this year, an 11.5% increase on last year. Digital buyers are set to pass 36 million this year and by 2023, eight in 10 internet users in France will buy online.
It’s one of the most dynamic and fast moving markets in Europe.
Whilst clothing and accessories have long enjoyed popularity amongst French and International shoppers, groceries, household appliances and other items are also now experiencing rapid growth. Marketplaces are an enormous growth driver in France. Nine out of 10 of the top e-commerce retailers in France are pure marketplaces or employ a marketplace model in addition to their retail channel to expand their product catalogue. In fact recent research shows online marketplaces accounted for 30% of sales for the main e-commerce sites in France during 2018.
In this blog we’ll uncover four marketplaces you should be considering if you want to seize the marketplace momentum in France.
La Redoute
One of the most well respected shopping destinations in France — home of high end fashion and homeware, this premium marketplace attracts more than 10 million fashion-hungry visitors each month.
What you need to know
It’s more selective compared with other options — La Redoute carries 50% of its own brands and 50% external brands — but worth the effort. Consumers expect products to have premium prices, and are willing to pay more than they might elsewhere. The average basket value is €95, with most purchases coming from females ages 25 to 45. In order to sell on La Redoute sellers must make sure:
- All product data must be provided in French, and will need to be accompanied by European Article Numbering (EAN) codes.
- For customer service, sellers must provide a French phone number and keep it serviced by native French speakers.
- All products must be new — no refurbished or used items — and ideally have brand recognition in France.
- All sellers are required to offer free returns or a French return address.
Cdiscount
Cdiscount is one of the largest marketplaces in France, as we saw from the chart above, it’s just behind Amazon in terms of sales volume. One in three of the country’s online shoppers frequents the site, which sees 2 million visits per day from a base of 16 million registered customers who shop across a wide range of categories.
What you need to know
The online signup process is quick and easy, new sellers can start selling right away. You’ll also have plenty of options for advertising to consumers within the marketplace, and can opt to use Cdiscount’s warehousing and fulfilment capabilities. Keep these things in mind if you want to be successful on Cdiscount:
- All consumer-facing product data must be provided in French, the official language on Cdiscount, including everything from titles and descriptions down to bullets and details.
- Sellers must also be prepared to provide customer service in French. Responding to customers in French via email is the minimum requirement.
- While Cdiscount does permit the use of online translation tools, brands and retailers are most successful when they have product content professionally translated and communications handled by a native speaker.
- All products must be listed in Euros.
Google Shopping Actions
If you haven’t had a chance to look into Google’s popular e-commerce program since it debuted in France earlier this year, now’s the time to consider adding it to your portfolio of channels. Google are tapping into the vast spending potential of the French market, reported as number two in the world when it comes to international spending on luxury goods, and the average revenue per user is currently up to US$984.65.
Google Shopping Actions allows consumers to browse and buy goods from multiple retailers, and then add items to one shopping list and universal cart. The biggest benefit to sellers is the all-encompassing nature of the program.
What you need to know
- Google Shopping Actions is designed to surface your listings wherever people shop — whether they’re using Google Search, Google Express or the Google Assistant. And because Shopping Actions is a retailer-first platform, it’s always clear to consumers that they’re actually buying from you. You’ll have your own storefront, and your company name will be prominently placed on each listing.
- There’s no need to upload your entire inventory. You can pick and choose which products to sell on Google Shopping Actions, according to market demands and product performance. This is especially great news if you sell fashion, clothing and cultural goods, as these are currently the highest-performing e-commerce categories in France.
Colizey
This newly launched marketplace (April 2019) is the ultimate shopping destination for sports and athleisure. Colizey’s mission is to enhance the sporting goods buying experience and build the largest online sporting goods catalogue.
Colizey offers a highly curated and personalised experience for shoppers, making it easy to filter by gender, sport or product. Working closely with sports influencers, enthusiasts and athletes, Colizey have collected a unique content hub that appeals to consumers looking for inspiration, guidance and advice.
With more and more consumers jumping on the athleisure trend — Colizey should be a key consideration for all sportswear brands looking at new growth channels.
What you need to know
- Colizey are looking to rapidly expand their seller onboarding over the coming year, targeting resellers and brands alike — so it’s a perfect time to list.
- Brands looking at Colizey should capitalise on their focus on high quality product content which allows for detailed product and video descriptions — particularly good if you want to sell high tech or specialised sportswear.
- Each brand will have their own dedicated store showcasing sports related to their product offering.
- Colizey are waiving the monthly fee for 6 months for ChannelAdvisor customers.
And there you have it. Four marketplaces primed for growth in the French market and key considerations for your 2020 strategy.
Want to make sure you hit the ground running? ChannelAdvisor is here to help. We have several tools built to remove the mystery from syncing your listings with each of these marketplaces, and can help you launch after receiving approval from them. Want to learn more? Get in touch and one of our e-commerce experts would be happy to guide you through how these channels might work for your business.
