Online commerce: sales rebound in France driven by “fast fashion”

The French are spending more and more online: according to the annual report from the e-commerce federation, Fevad, orders for products and services increased in 2024 to reach more than €175 billion and some 2.6 billion transactions. Online product orders have started to rise again after two years of decline. The amount of orders is thus approaching its historic high, at €66.9 billion (compared to €67 billion in 2021), indicates Fevad, which is due to present its annual report on Thursday, July 3, at its general meeting.

This rebound is partly due to the dynamism of fashion and clothing , the most purchased products online according to the federation. During 2024, nearly 60% of online buyers ordered them. "Clothing confirms its digital shift with 23% market share and an online turnover of 7.7 billion euros (including Amazon, Shein and Temu)," specifies the Fevad.

Also read: Fans of fast fashion and second-hand goods, the French bought more clothes in 2024

This digital shift has emerged at the heart of political and commercial debates in recent months, with the adoption by Parliament of a text to curb "fast fashion" , this ultra-ephemeral fashion embodied by the giant Shein and its low-cost clothes shipped by the millions from China. Among the "challenges" of the Fevad, set out by its general delegate in an editorial published at the beginning of the annual report, is precisely the "regulatory" issue. "It is essential that all players, especially Asian platforms, respect the same rules in our market" , asserts Marc Lolivier.

Beyond fashion and clothing, the most purchased products online are shoes (49%), hygiene and beauty products (47%), and games and toys (43%). Second-hand purchases are now well established in consumer behavior and "have won over a large majority of online buyers (51%)" , observes Fevad, which notes that "fashion and clothing items are the most purchased second-hand (39%)" . In total, according to the same report, 41.6 million French people "have purchased online in the last 12 months" , an increase of "2.2 million over one year" , with an average number of purchases of 62 products per year. For a transaction, a consumer spends an average of 68 euros, a stable amount compared to 2023, according to the Fevad report.