France’s business is very developed, and food sales are the most profitable. Among various stores, supermarkets and chain stores are the most dynamic, accounting for almost half of all business activities. France is one of the world’s largest e-commerce countries and is ranked as the world’s sixth largest e-commerce market. What is the status of e-commerce development in France? What are the factors affecting the development of e-commerce in France?
Current situation of mobile e-commerce:
The number of people in France who own smart devices has increased to about 80% of the total population, and the number of people who use mobile devices to shop has increased to 9.3 million, accounting for 25% of the total number of mobile users. At present, 94% of online retailers in the market have launched mobile websites. In 2015, nearly 10 billion euros were consumed through mobile devices.
Payment methods
French consumers like to use bank cards for online payments, which makes payment settlements for international retailers relatively simple.
Distribution trends
1. The emergence of new logistics and distribution methods such as unlimited delivery services, free delivery returns, and containers will promote the continued growth of e-commerce in France.
2. The popularity of “online ordering – in-store pickup” for daily necessities in France has reached the forefront of the world, and recent innovations include expansion to set up pickup during driving.
3. Research by the Royal Mail shows that 85% of French people are more concerned about the reliability of orders, not just high-value goods.
4. The biggest impact on French consumers is free returns. Although the overall return rate in France seems to be relatively low, it is only 6%. However, in some retail categories (such as fashion), the return rate is as high as 20%, and 40% of French consumers believe that the existing return process is too complicated.
Factors affecting the development of e-commerce in France:
Slow logistics
Online shopping in France, including: selection, ordering, payment and other procedures are relatively simple. But the logistics speed is relatively slow. First, French e-commerce began in 1999, when there was no French e-commerce enterprise and few developed logistics systems. They were all sent through the post office, and the post office had a high cost of sending, which many customers could not afford. After that, the mode of letting customers pick up the goods in the store was opened, the service was still formal, and the delivery time was shortened to five days to a week. Later, French e-commerce companies had their own logistics, but they had to stay at home when delivering goods, otherwise they had to pick up the goods themselves. Except for Amazon, Vente-privee, except for these relatively large e-commerce, the others are still unsatisfactory. The second reason is that there are more holidays. France has about 150 holidays a year, and August is basically a holiday, usually a national holiday, and religious holidays are also a holiday. Therefore, as long as the delivery, delivery, and pickup departments are basically stopped during the holidays. The third reason is the shortage and high cost of human resources, which is also the reason for the slow development of the French e-commerce industry.
Evaluation system
The general page display of French e-commerce websites is too thin, the display of product pictures is single, the description is mostly parameter introduction, and the physical sense is not strong
It is not easy for customers to fully understand the product from multiple directions and angles. Some e-commerce basically has no comment system, but this is related to the integrity of France. The counterfeit rate in various industries in France is almost zero, and there are few cases of inferior goods being sold as good ones. This may be the reason for the underdeveloped comment system.