Good prospects for Made in France products internationally in the future? According to a new survey by the Opinion Way institute for CCI France, the more than 4,000 Chinese, American, German and Italian consumers interviewed for the study wish to consume more French products. If at the lowest, 74% of Italian and German consumers expressed this wish, 96% of the Chinese surveyed considered it, at the highest, and 78% for the Americans.
“In 2023, we surveyed the perception of the French on Made In France, but we only represent 3% of global GDP. So we wanted to survey the reputation of French products among our best customers, the Chinese, the Americans, the Italians and the Germans,” explains Alain Di Crescenzo, president of CCI France.
A study carried out via internet surveys, between October 10 and 16, a few days before the MIF Expo. Over the years, this event has become THE unmissable meeting place for Made in France players, the new edition of which will take place from November 8 to 11, in Paris. A thousand entities are expected to display their know-how through hundreds of products. The latter will also benefit from a 2024 Olympic Games effect, according to the feedback from this Opinion Way survey for CCI France. 88% of Chinese consumers surveyed say that this event strengthened their desire to consume Made in France products. Conversely, 30% of Germans say it will have no impact, like 29% of Americans.
French soft power
This sensitivity for Made in France among these four audiences has several reasons. First of all, for 69% of Germans, French products are perceived as quality products. An aspect also validated by the three other audiences for at least 61% of them. This is what motivated their French purchases in the first place. To the question “Why did you consume Made in France products?” », the item “Because they are of better quality” comes first for the Germans (46%), the Chinese (53%) and the Americans (48%).
“Three out of four respondents have a good image of French products and want to consume more of them. This is good news for us,” says the manager.
Only the Italians put an item ahead of quality, one point ahead, in response to the same question, namely “For their reputation, their prestige”, at 39%. This is the second reason for the other three countries. Thus, the Chinese give this reason for their Made in France purchases for 51% of respondents, 41% for the Americans and 36% for the Germans. Unsurprisingly, therefore, the podium of French purchasing reasons is completed by “Because someone recommended them to you”. In this same logic, Made in France products are perceived by two out of three consumers, on average, as luxury products.
Request for a wider offer on the shelves
However, if Made in France players highlight a minimal environmental footprint to stand out from global competition, particularly on the issue of textiles, this is not what consumers remember… Only one in five surveyed, for Germans, Americans and Italians perceive French products as “Environmentally responsible products” and one in three for the Chinese. “This is a point of improvement that we must have in mind”underlines Alain Di Crescenzo. In this continuity, only 6% of Germans have purchased Made in France products “Because they have a lower environmental impact”, like 7% of Italians or even 14% of Americans. Only the Chinese, with 24% of respondents, seem to be slightly concerned about it.
Furthermore, these four populations surveyed all, without exception, demand “greater diversity of offer”.
“We have identified that with tableware and household appliances, an additional 15 billion euros of Made in France per year could be sold abroad. And we could have an additional five billion with the parapharmacy”indicates the president of CCI France, which has 130 full-time equivalents dedicated to supporting the export of companies.
Currently, the Made in France products that are popular internationally are mainly food with spirits and wines, followed by leather goods and textiles, as well as cosmetics.
Another request, “A greater presence of these products close to (them)”. Note that the Chinese, fond of textile items and spirits, call, for 48% of them, to “lower customs duties”.
Diplomacy, the last resort of cognac and Armagnac in the face of Chinese taxes
Laulhère, French excellence that exports well
For 180 years, this SME based in Oloron-Sainte-Marie has been producing berets entirely made from its workshop in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. Laulhère is even the last historic beret factory in the country, with significant volumes: 200,000 to 400,000 pieces, depending on the year. On a turnover of 4.8 million euros, 38% of its activity is exported. “Foreign consumers have a much more modern approach than us to this product, they have no barriers and are very attached to its details. This aspect allowed us to strongly develop our sales in Japan, then naturally Korea followed. The United States is also a very strong market for us, but more thanks to cinema and our presence in film productions”testifies Rosabelle Forzy, the president of Laulhère.
When she took over the company in 2014, the latter made a strategic choice with a repositioning of their products: “At the time, we were struggling with Asian competitors. Today, we are on a more expensive but more durable product, which can be passed on. We are very vigilant about our environmental criteria”. If its first prices are around 59 euros, exceptional pieces much more expensive, thanks to collaborations with luxury players, symbolize this policy.
However, this Made in France player intends to diversify into the production of sweaters, coats and hats which require the same skills as berets, in order to be sustainable. The SME is also impatiently awaiting the response to the call for tenders from the French army to supply the institution (50,000 pieces per year), a market in its hands for 70 years and which has allowed it to preserve its SKILLS. In the short term, Laulhère intends to export its berets made in France to its European neighbors.
