Export / E-commerce: international online sales boom in France
Online cross-border sales are expected to jump by 25% per year worldwide by 2020, from $ 300 billion in 2015 to $ 900 billion (gross merchandise value) in 2020. Growth in international e-commerce Would be twice as fast as domestic e-commerce, according to a report by a consulting firm for the DHL international express shipping group, "The Trade of 21st Century Spices" (see our article). "Cross-border trade has exploded with the drop in transport costs, of which we are also one of the actors," said Michel Akavi, CEO of DHL Express France, who presented the results of this meeting in Paris on 25 April. Study published last February.
Boom of e-commerce in France: 33 transactions per second
"France is already a major player in e-commerce and it has potential," noted Michel Akavi. Indeed, because of its global image in certain sectors such as gastronomy, fashion, luxury or cosmetics, France holds a large place in international exchanges.
Apparel and electronics are leading the way in global sales, but now, the report notes, consumers are extending their cross-border shopping to other types of products. France, world leader in cosmetics, has a great card to play in the field.
Hexagon now counts 200 000 web-merchant websites, a number multiplied by 10 in 10 years. According to the Federation of e-commerce and distance selling (Fevad), cited by the study, e-commerce in France in 2016 crossed the 70 billion euro mark to reach a turnover of 72 billion , An increase of 23% compared to 2015. Above all, this represents 33 transactions per second.
The report also shows that 31% of the main French and German online shopping sites have international traffic of more than 15%. However, France and Germany still lag far behind the United Kingdom, one of the leading online retail markets in Europe, where almost half (49%) of merchant websites are frequented by international visitors. In Spain, 47% of merchant sites have international traffic of more than 15%. E-commerce tricolores therefore still have room for maneuver to capture a greater international audience.
The rise of e-commerce has had an impact on the volume of parcels handled by DHL Express France, a subsidiary of Deutsche Post DHL, which claims 35% of the international express market. But for the time being, the boom of the activity concerns even more import than export.
Explosion of B2C deliveries: 20,000 parcels delivered per day
In France, DHL delivers directly to consumers more than 20,000 parcels per day that are ordered from online sales sites around the world. The volume imported into France by the international express transport specialist and then delivered in B2C, ie sold directly by the company to the final consumer, increased from 2% in 2010 to more than 30% in 2016. "1 package out of 3 today is delivered to an individual who bought online," said Michel Akavi. B2C should even affect 1 in 2 deliveries within 5 years for DHL Express in France, with annual growth of 20% in B2C import deliveries being 4 to 5 times faster than in Other flows (C2C, B2C or B2B).
Online purchases are mainly from Spain, the United Kingdom, China, the United States and the Netherlands. "Spain, commented Michel Akavi has two huge sites, Mango and Zara which the French are very fond of. As regards purchases made on Dutch merchant sites, Michel Akavi recalled that the Netherlands, which has a major import port, is often the result of imports which are then re-exported from In the Netherlands.
E-consumers in France mainly purchase textile-clothing products (sportswear, footwear and clothing), which account for 50% of purchases, and "a little electronics from Asia," adds Michel Akavi.
Export support for e-merchants
"For export, only 15% of parcels coming out of France are BtoC packages, and we think it is a sector to be developed, notably e-export," Michel Akavi said. In addition to its dedicated delivery services, DHL Express France has decided to support companies wishing to develop their Internet sales, targeting in particular SMEs with services tailored to their needs.
DHL offers very short international delivery times: 1 day to Europe, 2 or 3 days to China and the United States. According to his study, online retailers see their sales increase by 10 to 15% on average by sending their offers to international customers. "It is also hoped that the next government will stimulate this sector [...]", said the P-dg. "It is a sector, it continued, which is growing and which can grow even faster, which creates jobs and for which France has assets".
