French taking to online shopping
Only Britain and Germany spent more on shopping on internet in 2013, study finds, and French online spending is set to soar
THE French are Europe’s third largest online consumers - and internet shopping is expected to increase 17.3 times more than traditional sales this year.
Last year, the French spent €26bn shopping on the internet. Only online shoppers in Germany (€41bn) and Britain (€46bn) spent more.
The three nations combined accounted for 80% of all internet shopping spending in Europe in 2013.
If travel and entertainment services are included, French online spending last year rose to €51.1bn.
The survey, according to data collected by Retail Research, and based on government figures, and interviews with e-commerce analysts, found a north-south divide in the use of online retailers across Europe.
People living in Sweden (71%) and Britain (67%) are particularly fond of internet shopping, the study found, while Italians (20%) are less likely to have bought goods online. In France, 52% of people have bought goods using their computers.
This year, French shoppers are expected to spend an average of €908 ordering goods online. Britons, meanwhile, are predicted to spend as much as €1,267.
By 2015, internet spending in France is expected to hit €36bn, compared to €49bn in Germany and €61bn in Britain.
