France: 91% of merchants offer multiple payments methods

Despite this fact, e-tailers register a relatively low number of transactions, around 100 transactions per month, and the average basket size has been declining from 2010, standing at EUR 95 in 2010 and EUR 82 in 2013, according to data issued by the payments solutions provider be2bill, in conjunction with the digital strategy consulting company Converteo.

Only 9% of e-merchants offer one mode of payment. The average number of payment options offered is 2.9, but this varies by sector, with travel and tourism websites offering 2.4 on average, while entertainment, culture and high-tech offer 3.3. Offering multiple modes of payment is extremely important as roughly 59% of shoppers abandon their purchase if preferred mode of payment isn’t available.

While all websites now use credit or bank cards for payment, modes like checks and bank transfers are still accepted by online merchants, particularly in the home decoration and entertainment sectors. In addition, 16% offer a free line of credit, usually in conjunction with a financial institution or credit agency and 20% of websites allow consumers to make multiple payments over a period of time for a single purchase without additional interest or fees.

51% of merchants have integrated the payment process into the design of their websites. As a result, many are using an off-the-shelf payment experience that’s not customised in terms of look and feel to their particular website or sector. There are, however, big disparities by sector as tourism and travel tends to customise the final payment page (79%), whereas home decoration e-merchants tend to use the standard page of their payment solution (69%).

The purchase process continues to be cumbersome for French consumers as both one-page checkout and one-click payments, which stand at 14%, are a rarity. Tourism tends to be a bit ahead of the curve with 17% offering one-page checkout and fashion sites prove to be better on one-click payments, primarily to facilitate multiple and repeat purchases on their sites.

35% of merchants have some type of customer support functionality integrated into the purchase process. In what concerns tourism and travel sectors, 62% connect consumers to customer support, if required, during the payment process.

There is an estimated 40% of online shoppers who abandon their purchase if they are asked to proceed through the 3D secure verification process. Likewise, only 14% of e-merchants integrate this step into their payment process due to high costs required in the implementation process. It is most common in entertainment/culture/high-tech, where 33% incorporate this verification step.

The study analyses 174 websites in France across 5 sectors: entertainment/culture/high-tech, tourism and travel, fashion (clothing and accessories), home decoration, and services.

Check out our Cross-border Ecommerce Research section here for more info on specific ecommerce facts and figures, preferred payment methods, risk and fraud, as well as ecommerce legislation and regulation in France.