Elise Denjean, edited by Mélanie Faure 9:31 a.m., January 18, 2022
The winter sales recorded a difficult start, once again.
Shops are suffering from the consequences of the health crisis and inflation, which is undermining the purchasing power of the French.
Those who suffer the most are the independent shops, which are struggling to compete with the giants of e-commerce.
After the growing trend of online sales, telework is once again shaking up consumer habits.
The balance sheet for the first week of the sales is not looking good, after a weekend that did not meet its objectives.
And unsurprisingly, it is the independent shops that are suffering the most.
Thus, there is a 30% drop in attendance compared to 2019, according to figures from the ALUR Federation.
Inflation, a burden for the consumer
Another finding of this first week: the French are spending less than usual.
According to the French Clothing Federation, this is a consequence of inflation.
The big brands are not spared either.
According to PROCOS, which represents brands such as Zara, Maison du Monde and Sephora, attendance has fallen by 30% compared to 2019 and online sales do not yet make it possible to compensate for the losses made.
>> READ ALSO
- Sales: "consumers have become accustomed to buying on promotion all the time"
On the other hand, everyone, including some freelancers, feels that the sales work much better online.
It is therefore e-commerce that should once again emerge victorious from this commercial operation.
Among the sites that record good figures, the giant Amazon or C Discount.
The latter recorded 22 million visitors, almost as many as in the space of a normal month.