Buying online has become essential for the French. 42 million of them shopped on the internet in 2022, or 80% of internet users. Sales on this channel also increased by 7.5% in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period last year, according to the Federation of e-commerce and distance selling (Fevad). If e-commerce still has challenges to overcome, it also has many advantages. Amazon commissioned Compass Lexecon, a firm specializing in economic analyses, to understand the overall purchasing experience, that is to say the way in which French people use, appreciate and benefit from e-commerce.
The results were presented by Antoine Victoria, vice-president of Compass Lexecon, on June 19 during a conference organized by the Choiseul Institute at the Cercle de l’union interalliée, in Paris (8th). It is in this high place of the Parisian bourgeoisie – where jeans/sneakers are prohibited and ties are obligatory – that Frédéric Duval, general director of Amazon France, Emmanuel Combe, economist and university professor at Paris I, Marc Lolivier , general delegate of Fevad, and Guillaume Rodelet, general director of Familles Rurales, returned, in particular, to the question of the purchasing power of the French…
MethodologyThe Compass Lexecon study is broken down into two blocks: an opinion survey carried out by Opinion Way, on the one hand, and on the other hand an econometric study on prices.
The survey was carried out online by OpinionWay, from November 10 to 16, 2023. It collected responses from 2,254 people aged 18 and over who had made at least one online purchase in the last 12 months. The survey mainly focuses on the perception of the contributions of online commerce, namely:
- A wide choice of products
- Time saving
- Attractive prices
- Savings linked to travel costs
- In times of inflation, buy at the best price or benefit from the best quality/price ratio
A multiplicity of gains
First of all, the study shows that consumers, whether they live in town or in the countryside, find that buying online provides access to a wide choice at a competitive price while saving time. Concerning e-shoppers in rural areas, of whom 9 out of 10 respondents use their vehicle to make purchases, e-commerce allows them to save on travel costs. “ The French live on average 7 km from a place to purchase non-food products, e-commerce therefore facilitates access to these products at an attractive price. », contextualizes Marc Lolivier, general delegate of Fevad.
According to an Ifop survey carried out in 2022, 85% of Amazon customers living in the countryside believe that the brand is able to offer them products that they cannot find in stores located near them. . Indeed, e-commerce brings a wide range of products, in one click, to areas deserted by certain businesses, sometimes very present in town. Frédéric Duval, general manager of Amazon France, cites bookstores as an example. Moreover, the sale of books remains an important activity for the Seattle giant, which initially focused on this product in the mid-90s.
Saving time, attractive prices, wider choice… “ This study, interesting but not surprising, validates what economists have known for a long time, that is to say the multiplicity of gains from e-commerce, underlines the economist Emmanuel Combe. For example, e-commerce avoids the cost of research by allowing the consumer to easily find a product at the cheapest price. » Understand: do not physically go to each store to compare prices. Be careful, however, not to pit brick & mortar against e-commerce: these two channels remain complementary.
On the one hand, physical commerce can offer online sales services, for example by becoming a parcel relay point. On the other hand, online shopping sites can be an entry point to the store. For example, to locate a piece of clothing and then go to the store to try it on and perhaps buy it.
“ However, the downside of digitalization remains the absence of services, particularly public ones, in the countryside. », very rightly indicates Guillaume Rodelet, general director of Familles Rurales which reminds us that out of 30,000 municipalities, 16,000 are without businesses or services. He also points out the risk of overconsumption linked to the ease of ordering online. To avoid this, the DG of Rural Families recommends applying the “KISSE” method. For Need, Immediate, Similar, Origin and Utility. This formula invites us to ask ourselves questions: do I need this product immediately? Or do I already have one similar? What is the origin of this product? Is it useful to me? A way to consume reasonably, despite a plethora of options…
A (global) effect on prices?
In addition to surveying French people about their online purchases with the help of Opinionway, Compass Lexecon conducted a quantitative analysis and showed that between 2010 and 2019, the growth of e-commerce saved 17 billion euros for French households, neutralizing the equivalent of a year of inflation over the same period.
In other words, according to this study, the growth of online commerce has had a significant anti-inflation effect on the French economy, reducing the prices of goods and services consumed by households. “ Online commerce puts the French on an equal footing by giving them access to the same offer, at the same price, everywhere in the country. Having neutralized more than a year of inflation in 10 years, it also protects their purchasing power », concludes Frédéric Duval, CEO of Amazon France.
The study firm did not take into account the recent surge in prices, generating inequalities, post-pandemic also caused by the various conflicts around the world, whether the war in Ukraine or the tensions in the Red Sea , particularly penalizing international trade.
