This post introduces us to Cdiscount, the leading French ecommerce marketplace.
A mere 22 miles separates the UK from the 2nd largest ecommerce market in Europe, yet culturally, linguistically and with Brexit teething problems the channel has seemed more like a gulf lately. Once you start considering the facts and size of the French market, however, it rapidly becomes a market worth evaluating further, and it’s an extra string to the multichannel bow that keeps you flexible and resilient for long term success. Here are some facts on French ecommerce:
So a pretty sizeable market at first glance, then. And what part does Cdiscount play in that market? A major one, as you might imagine, even with the direct presences of both Amazon and eBay. Founded in 1998, selling DVDs for under a euro, Cdiscount now boasts 22 million visitors, 10 million active shoppers, 100 million products offered by 13,000 sellers across all categories, and a 540,000 square-metre warehouse, which is getting towards an eye-watering space of 6 million-square-feet.
Cdiscount is particularly strong in stuff you’ll find in the home, including appliances and high tech products. Along with the global trends we saw emerging during Covid-hit 2020, Cdiscount also registered huge gains in sports, DIY and FMCG (supermarket-resident fast-moving consumer goods).
Apart from the rules and best practices that are particular to Cdiscount, there are 4 aspects of success that are related to all marketplaces, and Cdiscount is no different. These are: listing optimisation, reviews, fulfilment and visibility. For listings, the usual things apply: rich content like how to guides or videos, good titles and attributes, plenty of pictures, and strike-through pricing are all important.
Second, customer ratings and reviews are super important for your products or your shop. Cdiscount note that 68% of consumers are more willing to buy a product with both positive and negative ratings.
On the fulfilment front, Cdiscount has a range of logistics solutions, including its own 3PL (third party logistics) solution which provides access to 24,000 pickup points (a key choice for French consumers as we covered). Critically, it can also be your gateway to more than 20 other European destination countries.
Lastly, to attract your audience visibility, there’s the organic element, where Cdiscount’s algorithm factors in sales, product quality and customer reviews. Also, there’s Cdiscount Boost, which is exclusive to Cdiscount fulfilment, and there are promotional options too, like personalised shops, smart coupons and sponsored products.
Finally, Cdiscount is a member of the International Marketplace Network, opening up access for your products to over 200 million consumers through other marketplaces like German’s Real.de with its 19 million unique visitors. This comes at no additional cost and with no further connections or integrations required.
France and Cdiscount are certainly worth another look, don’t you think?
In a later post we’ll cover how to get started selling on Cdiscount. To discuss adding this important marketplace to your current coverage of online channels, and to find out how you can grow profitably by centralising your multichannel efforts, send us a note here.
