Close to a French three purchases on the Internet

E-commerce has become a major segment of the distribution sector. Turnover reached EUR 20 billion in 2008, against 8.7 billion in 2005. Close to a French three purchases on the Internet. While distance selling has capped for years to about 4 of the weight of all of the distribution, it is passed in a few years to a share of 7 to 10 based on the segments, and sometimes even to 20 for some of them.

Even if the e-commerce growth slowed somewhat with the crisis, it remains strong. In the first half of 2009, sector still grew by 25 while retail trade recorded a decline of 2.5 and consumption was 0.5.

Most of the major signs of the traditional distribution have developed so-called strategies "multi-channel". They are often more concerned the cannibalization of their traditional sales channels and have often found the strong complementarity between these channels and the Internet. Their success was often fast. They quickly learned that channel of distribution methods. H & M, who chose the Netherlands as first country after the Sweden to launch its Web site, has become in a few years one of the major players of the distance selling, overtaking and exceeding even many signs of this traditional distance selling in the country for several decades. Large signs French clothing sector have not been forgotten. As of such companies in the same, Etam, Galeries Lafayette, Promod or even the Zannier group have all developed offensive and effective multi-channel strategies also. All sectors are concerned. The site of Darty is one of the most important in France in the field of consumer electronics. Green light is becoming an important player on the segment of the line car accessory.

The movement is not about to stop. At a recent Conference organised by the magazine in the "lsa" distribution, the GfK market research company presented the results of a particularly illuminating European study on future trends of consumption online. On the segments of products purchased by younger, like MP3 players, the level of consumption in line is already very high. In Britain and Germany, it is about 40 of these products that are already purchased online. In France, we are at 20. It is likely that when these young people will have a few more years, in five to ten years, and their consumption will be on the set of products available, there will be also massive failover of the traditional consumption to consumption online.

There is thus strong consumption growth online in all the countries of Europe. In contrast, the France is distinguished from other European countries by the fact that the major players of the e-commerce are often young entrepreneurial companies who have reached quickly very significant sizes with turnover between 500 million and EUR 1 billion. It is not only traditional distributors have evolved to the Internet or the American multinationals of recent creation such as Amazon or eBay, but also very many local entrepreneurial initiatives. There is in any case this phenomenon even in countries where the consumption distance is important as the Germany and Great Britain. With dynamic, pioneering spirit and conqueror a few French entrepreneurs, we have seen emerge a few years of nothing or almost nothing important, parts companies: Cdiscount, Pixmania, Priceminister, street trade, private sale. These companies are now references to e-commerce France and even in Europe. All of these companies already have an international activity high and export their know-how and to freight in large quantities in other countries in Europe, sometimes with dramatically as Pixmania, daily exports to 30 countries in Europe at the start of Paris. It is still currently emerging players with the potential to become major corporations in France and in Europe, as for example Sarenza and Spartoo on the segment from the sale of chaussures online. These two companies although of modest size are already present in the international. This is the case also of French Brand Alley, who managed to ally with the powerful Group News Corp. to establish themselves in Britain. Even if these companies are sometimes purchased by major players in the European traditional distribution, they often retain their entrepreneurial dynamism and the France are a unique competence in Europe centre in the field of e-commerce.

The France is even responsible for at least a global innovation in the field of e-commerce. The private sale company developed a sales model based on the private end of season in the textile distribution sales online. This model has a spectacular success in France, where the company has exceeded the EUR 500 million in sales in less than five years. Many entrepreneurs in all developed countries, including the United States, are now trying to replicate the model of private sales. We were previously rather accustomed to copy of "business models" American in the field of the Internet. The dynamism and creativity of the French e-commerce show that this is true.

This success and growth accompanied by significant investments and creation of jobs in large quantities. Private sale would have recently invested about EUR 15 million in a new centre for the preparation of orders in Ain. They have mobilized to compétences of high level automation of industrial processes. The key jobs are many and all levels of qualification. E-commerce, which is becoming a major issue of the distribution sector is thus helping to boost the French industrial fabric and probably is a wonderful opportunity for our countries, in terms of creation of wealth, creating jobs and development of unique skills in Europe.