According to Le Journal du net, France’s online sales have increased 13.7 percent between the first trimesters of 2014 and 2015, reaching a total of €15.2 billion (roughly $17.3 billion) worth of sales- almost €2 billion (roughly $2.23 billion) more in comparison to last year. This increase was fed by an 18 percent increase of online shopping, which attained 193 million transactions during the trimester. In other words, JDN reports, 25 online transactions took place every second. The numbers were published in a report by FEVAD – the French Federation of E-commerce and Distance Selling.
In comparison, U.S. eCommerce is projected to grow by 14 percent in 2015 and can expect $349 billion in sales revenue, according to an international study commissioned by RetailMeNot. And in January, a Chinese government report said China’s eCommerce sales hit $2 trillion.
With more than 35 million buyers online, and 846,000 more than last year, French eCommerce continues a steady growth. In 2005, there were 14,500 active online retailers. In 2015, there are 164,200 – a 14 percent increase compared to last year.
In fact, the 40 leading online retailers making up the ICE40 panel – an index used to measure the growth of the French top eCommerce sites on a like-for-like basis – have seen their sales increase by 12 percent. Within the ICE40, transactions on smartphone and tablets have also increased by 44 percent (outside of marketplaces).
France’s eCommerce growth is partly due to popular “click & collect” service, which is becoming crucial to retailers and consumers alike. Last year, one French household out of four ordered through a “click & collect” service at least once, while one out of 10 used it on a monthly basis.
According to Nielsen, an American global information and measurement company based in New York, “click & collect” services- where consumers can pick up their goods at a drive-thru – is an increasingly popular concept in France. Nielson reported 3,428 “click & collect” services in France in April 2015, though new openings were less frequent compared to 2012 and 2013. Some have closed mostly due to a lack of profit.
The “click & collect” model is also gaining ground in the U.S. Farfetch, for instance, is an eCommerce hub connecting online shoppers to hundreds of indie clothing boutiques worldwide. And in 2014, Walmart opened its first “click and collect” site, while the supermarket chain Kroger was expanding tests of a buy-online-pick-up-at-curbside eCommerce service in January 2015.
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