France: Smartphones and tablets play a more important role in online and offline retail

According to the findings of the study, users of the two technologies purchase different products and shop in different ways.

21 percent of smartphone users purchase digital services online, including event tickets and apps, 11 percent buy cultural products such as books on their phones and 10 percent purchase travel (mostly train tickets).

Furthermore, 74 percent of smartphone shoppers use their mobile devices to shop at home while 20 percent make purchases on public transportation.

As far as tablet shoppers are concerned, these buy more clothing from their mobile devices than smartphone shoppers (13 percent of tablets owners buy clothes versus 6 percent of smartphone shoppers). Tablet shoppers also purchase more cultural products, (20 percent compared to 11 percent for smartphone owners). 90 percent of tablet shoppers purchase at home while 7 percent on public transportation.

The study has revealed that 40 percent of France’s 3.2 million tablet owners use their tablets to research a purchase, compared to 22 percent of the 19 million smartphone users. More web users are researching products online before buying online and offline—90 percent in 2012 compared with 86 percent in 2011.

According to the study, 43 percent of internet users have purchased via Amazon at least once in the past 6 months. Amazon is followed by the French national railway voyagessncf.com (38 percent), technology and electronics retailer the Fnac (35 percent), video and music retailer Cdiscount (27 percent), clothing retailer La Redoute (24 percent), private shopping club Vente-priveé (21 percent), women’s fashion retailer 3 Suisses (20 percent), eBay (16 percent), web-only marketplace Price Minister (14 percent) and Air France (13 percent).

The findings are based on Fevad’s latest survey on internet users purchasing behaviour conducted by audience monitoring company Médiamétrie. The survey has examined online and offline purchases of 3,257 internet users in the first 6 months of 2012 across 12 product categories, including high-tech, travel, fashion, toys and beauty.