This overview was first published in ‘eCommerce Insights and Trends Snapshot: France’, an eBook produced in association with our partner ACI Worldwide – and based on data from ACI Worldwide. Download your free copy of the eBook below to gain access to a comprehensive analysis of the insights that matter most when measuring the size and type of opportunities in the ecommerce market in France.
Card remains king of ecommerce in France, with local card network Cartes Bancaires (CB) the dominant player (more than 95% of CB cards are co-branded with Visa or Mastercard).
But, as French consumers’ shopping habits have shifted online, the convenience factor of e-wallets has proved too strong to resist. The e-wallet landscape is made up of a mix of local players such as PayLib, Lydia, Lyf, and global brands like PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Amazon Pay (volumes remained largely flat for physical credit and debit card transactions).
Elsewhere in alternative payment methods, Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) is another big winner of recent years. According to Oney, in 2019, 19% of French people paid in instalments at least once a month. By 2021, 32% reported preferring to have the option of paying in instalments more often in the future. Significant players here include offerings from local banks such as 3x 4x Oney, Floa; local startups like Alma, Pledg; global payers such as Klarna, Scalapay.
Bank cards: 80.1%
Online wallets: 11.5%
Consumer credits: 3.9%
Bank transfers/withdrawals: 0.9%
Other payment methods (private cards, cheques, gift vouchers, cash on delivery, in-store payments, branch payments, postal orders and cheque-letters, etc.): 3.7%
Source for payment methods breakdown: Key figures e-commerce 2021 Report, Fédération e-commerce et vente à distance (FEVAD)