Retail e-commerce spending in France is estimated to reach €58.84 billion ($70 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.
While clothing and accessories have long enjoyed popularity among 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 catalog. In fact, recent research shows online marketplaces accounted for 30% of sales for the main e-commerce sites in France during 2018.
Looking to tap into international demand for your products? Here are three marketplaces you should consider 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 ($105), 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 you can opt to use Cdiscount’s warehousing and fulfillment 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.
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 catalog.
Colizey offers a highly curated and personalized experience for shoppers, making it easy to filter by gender, sport or product. Working closely with sports influencers, enthusiasts and athletes, Colizey has 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 capitalize 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 specialized sportswear.
- Each brand will have its own dedicated store showcasing sports related to its product offering.
- Colizey is waiving the monthly fee for 6 months for Rithum customers.
And there you have it. Three marketplaces primed for growth in the French market and key considerations for your 2020 strategy.
Want to make sure you hit the ground running? Rithum 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.
