France

Consumers in Europe think security is more important than convenience when it comes to paying online. But in the UK, the difference is quite small. Over half of Brits chose security, while 43 percent selected convenience.

Ikea is launching a new app, which enables customers to visualize products in the context of their own homes and then order these items through the app. The new Ikea app will be launched first in France and the Netherlands.

In France, ecommerce accounted for a 7.1 percent share of fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sold last year. That's the highest share in Europe, ahead of a 6.3 percent share in the United Kingdom and a 1.4 percent share in Germany.

Loop, a shopping service with reusable packages, has launched in France. The whole idea behind this startup is that containers are designed to be reused. Major manufacturers, such as Unilever, Procter & Gamble and PepsiCo have already partnered with Loop.

Nasty Gal, a US fashion retailer focused on young women, has opened its first non-English online store. The Boohoo-owned online retailer has opened its digital doors in France. This country is only the third market where Nasty Gal runs a dedicated ecommerce website.

ManoMano, an online do-it-yourself marketplace from France, has raised 110 million euros in a funding round from Eurazeo, Aglaé Venture, and Bpifrance, as well as existing investors CM-CIC, Partech, Piton, and General Atlantic.

French supermarket Monoprix, a subsidiary of Casino Group, wants to further expand its partnership with Amazon. The two companies started working together last year, with Amazon delivering groceries in France through its Amazon Prime Now program.

The French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire wants a 3 percent tax on the French revenue of large internet companies, such as Amazon, Airbnb, Booking.com and Criteo. It looks like an EU-wide digital tax plan will be ditched next week.

Fashion retailer Zalando will expand its relatively new beauty category in Europe. Over the next two months, the German ecommerce company will start selling its beauty products in Sweden, Denmark, France, Belgium and Italy.

Latvian online marketplace Joom, which features low-priced products from China, is increasingly betting on French brands. After helping French merchants to sell their products in Europe, Joom wants to take things further and target merchants in other European countries as well.

The French supermarket chain Auchan will open its first cashier-less concept in Europe next month. In Villeneuve d’Asq, a commune in the Nord department in northern France, a fully automatic point of sale that can be operated via the smartphone will open its doors.

Even though the "Yellow Vest" protests in the last two months of 2018 took their toll, ecommerce in France has managed to increase by 13.4 percent last year. The online retail industry of France was worth 92.6 billion euros at the end of last year.

Google Pay has continued its global expansion and is now also available in France. Customers from six different banks in France can start using Google's mobile payment service. Google Pay can also be used at several online services and retailers in France.

Google Shopping will soon be more than just a simple price comparison engine. Early 2019, Google will introduce its own marketplace in France. With the new Google Shopping platform, the tech company will compete directly with Amazon.

Rakuten France has launched Club R Everywhere, an extended version of it current loyalty program Rakuten Club. With Club R Everywhere, customers from Rakuten get a 5 percent discount on purchases at partner brands, such as Nike, Expedia and Monoprix.