France

France has announced plans to pause the development of warehouses used by ecommerce companies. This would mean a setback for online retail giants such as Amazon. The plan was announced by the newly-appointed Minister of Environment, Barbara Pompili.

TrustProfile is the new service from Dutch trust mark WebwinkelKeur. With this label, online retailers can show several pieces of information, like reviews and verified identification data, to enable trust among customers. Currently, a pilot project is running in France, Spain and Italy.

Dutch wholesale marketplace Orderchamp has opened its digital doors in France. From now on, French physical retailers and online store owners can register for free to buy products, while French brands can start selling their assortment to over 12,000 connected retailers in Europe.

Carrefour has launched an online grocery marketplace in France. The platform will feature up to 100,000 products from more than a hundred different retailers by the end of this year. These items complement Carrefour's daily product range.

Most online shoppers in France expect their orders to be shipped for free, depending on the threshold. And one in three online shoppers even expect free shipping for all orders, regardless of the order value.

The turnover of business-to-consumer ecommerce in France is expected to be worth 115.2 billion euros at the end of this year. This would mean an increase of 11.4 percent compared to the situation last year, when ecommerce in France was worth 103.4 billion euros.

More and more consumers in Europe are buying fresh food products online. Although many shoppers still tend to buy a lower volume online than they do-instore. The only exception seems to be the United Kingdom, where 42 percent buys more online than in-store and 32% percent buy less online.

Amazon must restrict its orders in France in the coming weeks, due to measures associated with Covid-19. That's what a court decided earlier this week. Amazon can only accept orders of groceries, hygiene and health-related products.

Mirakl, a French provider of marketplace solutions, has launched StopCovid19.fr. The online platform, launched in partnership with the French government, aims to solve the shortage of essential products and materials in hospitals.

With the Covid-19 lockdown in action in Southern Europe, consumers in Italy, Spain and France are quickly discovering online shopping. More and more retailers are going online to sell their stuff, while an increasing number of consumers are ordering their groceries and products online.

De Bijenkorf, a major omnichannel retailer from the Netherlands, might be looking for further expansion across Europe. The retailer has posted job offers, in which it's looking for native French speakers.

Zalando has officially launched its loyalty program Zalando Plus in France. The all-round service was already available for customers in Germany and Switzerland, while Italy will join soon.

Gadero, an online shop for wood and wooden furniture, has expanded its ecommerce activities to the French-speaking market in Western Europe. The Dutch retailer will now deliver wood to Wallonia, Luxembourg and some northern parts of France.

Ecommerce in France has achieved a turnover of 74 billion euros during the first nine months of this year. French ecommerce association Fevad thinks that, due to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, consumers will spend 20 billion euros in the last quarter, meaning French ecommerce will exceed 100 billion euros this year.

French supermarket retailer Carrefour is ready to sell its online shop Rue du Commerce. Only three years ago, Carrefour acquired consumer electronics retailer Rue de Commerce, but now it wants to focus more on food instead of electronics.