Top Marketplaces in France for Small and Medium Online Sellers
June 18, 2018 in Distance Sales, Ecommerce Tips, European VAT, French VAT, VATAre you considering expanding your e-commerce business into France?
France is one of the largest e-commerce markets, not only in Europe but globally. With a population of 65 million, it’s a great market for online retailers to move into. In 2017 the French spent over 80 billion Euros online.
With over 170,000 e-commerce sites in France, it can be overwhelming to know where to begin. We look at the key players in the market and the best approach when moving into a new market.
When moving into the French e-commerce market you may need to consider the following:
- Localisation
- Translation
- Customer service must be in French (utilise a marketplace or outsource to a specialist)
- VAT thresholds and obligations
- Using a third party such as InterCultural Elements
- Currency changes
We bring you an overview of the top 5 marketplaces in France:
CDiscount – Founded in 1999 with over 16 million customers it is the second largest marketplace in France after Amazon. It has over 18,000 pickup locations and offers over 40 categories with its aim to offer the best prices for all its products. CDiscount only operates in France.
It has a monthly fee of €39 and the commission is around 5-20%.
Fnac – In the top three of most visited e-commerce sites in France. It mostly sells consumer electronics but you can list other goods. Launched in 2008 with around 10.5 million unique monthly visitors it is an important player in the country.
It has a monthly fee of €39.99 and takes a commission of around 8-12%.
Ranking of e-commerce websites in France at the end of 2017, by unique visitors (per thousand).
Source: Statista
eBay.fr – Still widely used, but ranks around 4th in terms of new visitors each month in France. Like Amazon, as a seller, it is an easy marketplace to start selling on with its familiar format.
Priceminister – Part of the Rakuten Group it has over 22 million members. Most of its customers are indeed French. You are able to list pretty much in any category making it a leading equivalent to eBay.
There is no monthly fee and the commission is 4-22%
Amazon.fr – With over 19 million unique visitors per month and growing. If you are already an Amazon seller you will be au fait with this marketplace. Amazon has the benefit of being an easy option for expansion into France.
Download out essential e-commerce guide to VAT in France for free.
Further questions around VAT and selling on European Marketplaces, get in touch today.
