French e-commerce to surpass €100 billion in 2019

French e-commerce association Fevad presented the results of its barometer research on online sales. With the holiday season coming up, total online sales are expected to exceed €100 billion in 2019. 

Growth in the third quarter of 2019

The study is based on data collected from leading merchant sites in their respective sector, as well as information provided by nine secure online payment solutions. According to the results from the data, the total turnover of e-commerce grew by 10.8% in Q3 compared to the third quarter of 2018. In total, French e-commerce sales in the third quarter reached €24.6 billion, compared to €22.2 billion in 2018. The figures are driven by an increase in the number of buyers and the number of merchants and sites that offset the decline in the average amount of transactions.

This decrease in average order value is less significant than in earlier periods (-3%), which according to Fevad is due to the good performance of the online travel and tourism industry. In Q3, the average of an order is €58 euro (€59,50 in 2018). The frequency of online purchases grows, with 12.5 online transactions per quarter. On average, a total of €724 euros is spent online.

Mobile sales grow three times faster than e-commerce

The French m-commerce market sees rapid growth. With 11% growth in the third quarter of 2019, compared to the same period last year, this growth is significant. Mobile represents 32% of the total online turnover, 5 points higher year-on-year, of the total panel that took part in the Fevad barometer. Whilst the average order value is still a little low, m-commerce continues to grow at a rate three times as fast than all e-commerce.

Shopping holidays in French e-commerce

After another expected successful Black Friday weekend, the online shopping festival is expected to reach the €1.7 billion euro mark, Christmas sales and promotions will start. These promotions in November and December could result in turnover surpassing the €20 billion mark, driven by the increase in the number of buyers and the frequency of purchase. In 2018, €18.3 billion was spent during this period. With a total turnover of €74 billion in the first three quarters of 2019, the French e-commerce market should climb to the 100 billion euro mark for 2019. According to Fevad, this is in line with this years' market expectations.