France stands as one of Europe’s e-commerce powerhouses, securing the third position behind Germany and the United Kingdom. In 2024, the number of e-commerce users in the country was estimated to exceed 30 million, underscoring the widespread adoption of digital shopping. Over the past decade, e-commerce sales revenue in France has more than tripled, a clear indicator of the digital trade’s expanding reach and profitability.

Profitable Segments and the C2C Growth

Fashion emerged as the most lucrative e-commerce segment in France in 2024, generating an estimated 16 billion U.S. dollars in revenues. Within this realm, the second-hand online marketplace Vinted took the lead as the most visited fashion and apparel website by December 2023, outperforming global giants like Zalando and ASOS. This shift reflects consumers’ growing demand for affordable and sustainable products, which has fueled the rise of C2C (consumer-to-consumer) e-commerce. Platforms such as Leboncoin, Cdiscount, and Vinted have thrived in this space. By April 2024, leboncoin.fr alone recorded nearly 120 million monthly web visitors, highlighting the popularity of second-hand online trading.

The Emergence of Shoppertainment

Social media shopping (social commerce) and live shopping are gradually reshaping France’s e-commerce landscape. Features like Instagram’s "shoppable tags" allow users to directly click on product tags in posts and make purchases within the app, streamlining the buying process. A 2022 survey revealed that a quarter of French shoppers had made at least one purchase via social media, with around 18 percent citing celebrities and influencers as a key motivation for engaging in social commerce. As internet users spend increasing amounts of time on social media content, social shopping is poised to become one of the most significant sales channels for e-commerce in the near future.

This growth aligns with France’s broader e-commerce trajectory, which saw total revenues reach €159.9 billion in 2023 with a 10.5% growth. The integration of new trends like C2C and social commerce, alongside the presence of major platforms, reinforces France’s position as a dynamic force in European digital trade.