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.