Online sales on the French market

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The concept of Sales appeared in the 19th century with the implementation of fixed prices and the emergence of brands that had to sell their products before the arrival of the next collection. Today, merchants offer  very interesting promotions to their consumers on unsold products during two periods of the year in France. This allows, as before, to speed up the SDale of stocks before a new collection arrives.

Sales in Europe

Sales are present in most European countries, but the regulations are different in every country. The dates, times, and even periods of the year can be different. In France, the periods are determined by the government, while in some other countries, the merchants are free to choose their Sales periods. If you wish to know the regulations of a particular country, click here.

It is also important to take into account that customs and habits differ from one country to another, which changes the consumers’ purchasing behavior. For example: summer holidays or religious and national holidays need to be taken into consideration.

French Sales

The summer Sales in France will begin on Wednesday the 27th of June 2018 and end on Tuesday the 7th of August 2018. These sales allow retailers to clear their stock before the arrival of the new autumn/winter collection in September.

Promotions VS Sales in France

Over the years, the Sales have became popular and expected. But because retailers have become free to do promotional activities throughout the year the Sales have become less attractive than in the early days. Nowadays we are talking about Black Friday, Cyber Monday, private sales, ect. But what exactly are the differences between these promotions and sales in France?

To be able to compete against these recurring promotional actions and to stand out from the competition, it is important to offer attractive prices from the first day of the French Sales!

The behavior of the French e-consumer during the sales

Nowadays, French consumers shop more and more online during the Sales. Physical stores are less visited during this period. In this way, they avoid crowds, save time comparing the items and prices, and they are also comfortably on the couch at home!

Therefore we now know that consumers will be more active during this period and the week before the Sales (pre-scouting). Your traffic will increase, and you don’t have to be surprised to see your bounce rate rise as well.  Because during sales, consumers browse on internet with different purposes. Some just by curiosity, they roam between their favorite websites to be informed about the promotions offered. Some to compare, when the consumer already knows what he wants.

Many consumers do their research online and then buy it offline (Web-To-Store). Your data will therefore be very different from usual, but not without positive repercussions for your company!

Important numbers to take into account during the sales period:

 

Intent to buy online

Average shopping cart

Logo Google shopping

Average number of items 

Average time spent online

Privileged day

Logo Mobile penetratie

Conversion mobile

70% of e-buyers+/- 100 €3 to 4 items3h 5minWednesdayEarly in the morning and evening

Online marketing campaigns during Sales

You understand that online Sales are very important for consumers. Don’t miss this opportunity and prepare your website! Establish a budget, list the actions to implement, test your website before the launch. Leads International offers you, more advice to be sales-proof and not miss any conversion!

Prepare your website

If you want to attract new customers to your website, address the customers on your homepage that you also participate to the Sales. This page is an important entry point, capture the consumer’s attention quickly and effectively to avoid increasing your bounce rate. Put your bestselling product and best offers in the spotlight.

On the product pages, distinguish the items on sale from the other products. Adding a filter to your promotion categories can be very useful for your consumers. Once your website is optimized for your consumers, don’t forget to prepare your server! The number of buyers can increase by 166%. Warn your host, he will know what to do.

Optimize your website for all devices

The summer sales mostly take place during the holidays. Consumers may be travelling or on the road. Offer them a quality experience throughtheir smartphones, tablets or your application! Optimize your website for every device.

E-mailing

In order to be aware of all the promotions offered by their favorite brands, consumers keep an eye on their inboxes. The e-mail opening rate and the reactivity rate (clicks per e-mail opened) are higher during this period.

  • Do not hesitate to inform your customers by sending them a newsletter one month in advance, the day before and, of course, on the day of the sale.
  • Offer an exclusivity to your loyal customers, such as a private sale for example.

Evaluate

During the sales period, don’t forget to manage your AdWords campaigns, the CPM can increase to 29% and the CPC by 20%. These figures should be included in your budget. And again, don’t be surprised by the bounce rate, it’s usually over 50%.

Sales take place in many countries. If you also want to take part in the French sales, find out about their regulations, study the behavior of the French consumers and prepare your strategy in advance! The French marketeers of Leads International help you implement your marketing strategies during the French sales. Do not hesitate to contact us for more information!

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