Paris (AFP)
Online sales reached 112 billion euros in France in 2020, an increase of 8.5% over one year, despite "the sharp fall in travel and leisure activities", according to an annual report from the Federation e-commerce and distance selling (Fevad) released Thursday.
E-commerce, which only represented 9.8% of retail trade in 2019, now represents 13.4%.
"The two periods of confinement have led to unprecedented peaks of activity in the online sale of products", notes Fevad, but "between these two periods sales remained at a high level".
The acceleration in sales "was particularly marked in the last quarter", during which "the closure of stores and that of so-called non-essential departments led to a strong increase in sales in November which continued in December, despite the reopening of physical stores ".
In the end, by adding sales of products and services, the increase remains less than that recorded in 2019 (+ 11.6%).
"This growth is driven by the increase in sales of products on the internet estimated at + 32%, while services are down 10%, under the effect of the sharp drop in travel and leisure activities during the crisis, ”she explains.
The Fevad in fact includes in its calculation of the figures for online commerce services, a large part of which corresponds to transport, tourism and leisure.
With border closures, travel restrictions and persistent health uncertainties, this aspect of e-commerce logically collapsed in 2020, by 41%.
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