Thanks to the coronavirus crisis and recurring restrictions, SMEs and SMEs have accelerated their digital transformation. So much so, that online sales exploded in 2020 – an increase that’s also true this year. A boom in digital commerce enriches, rather than replaces, physical commerce.
Preparing the future of trade in France. This was the ambition of the trade offices that were launched at the initiative of the Ministry of Economy and ended on December 16. It was about ecological transformation, disruption in consumption patterns, and evolution in general. changes in consumer expectations, with the emergence of “consumer consciousness” (vegan, second-hand markets, local, etc.); developed, too, in districts and town planning, sometimes abandoning town centers; Finally, the evolution of consumption processes, with the undeniable rise of digital practices.
Much of the change process has accelerated with the coronavirus pandemic. This is due, in particular, to the development of remote work and online commerce, which actually exploded during the months of confinement. The government notes that “the acceleration of corporate digitization in France is possible in the coming years”, especially among SMEs / SMEs, which were lagging behind in terms of digital technology, before having to adapt to it. Convert by force of circumstances – according to a government metric, for example, they are more likely to have a website, since the arrival of Covid-19.
E-commerce growth
Will France thus become “e-commerce compatible”? The digital transformation of small and medium-sized enterprises is taking place but it is still very cautious, compared to other countries at the European level. This is why the CEO launched a recovery plan in France last summer, which should allow entrepreneurs to implement a digital “transformation” in order to adapt to new consumption practices. According to the Ipsos study “Digital Transformation: A Growth Opportunity for French VSE-SMEs” (June 2020), online tools are being used for the first time to attract and satisfy customers. Since the pandemic, online shopping has jumped 42% in the past year – a trend that continues into 2021 that small and medium-sized businesses cannot ignore.
Therefore, if the rise of e-commerce in France is an undeniable economic and social blessing, it must be considered a lever in the service of … commerce itself, both physical and traditional. The first is undoubtedly destined to grow – perhaps this exponentially. In some countries, such as the United States, retail changes go hand in hand with the phenomenon of stagnation in the number of retailers, which is undesirable in France. In addition to the economic weight of trade (consumption and employment), it is also a pillar of French society, a valuable social place. If it is too early to dismiss the Covid-19 crisis, it is possible to highlight the contribution of digital to the service of physical business resilience with the emergence of practices such as drive, click and aggregation.
Increased requirements in terms of customer experience
This convergence of consumption practices, between physical and digital, is essential, despite the advent of digital tools. As it appears that with the development of digital relationships, consumers value the customer experience more, and much more powerfully when they can navigate, see the product, and benefit from personalized advice. Thus, in 2020, while nearly 42 million French people placed orders online (ie 1.8 billion transactions), 70% of the population still prefers to buy in-store, for the possibility of trying the product (85%) in relation to the experience of the trade (90%).
Therefore, a solution appears to be emerging, at a crossroads: the ‘omnichannel’ solution, or the ‘interconnection between physical and digital sales channels’ – the term ‘phygital’ is also used, a contraction of ‘physical’ and ‘digital’. Kisaku? It is nothing more or less than an in-depth modification of the entire chain of purchase: the overall channel, for a company, consists in mobilizing all possible communication and sales channels with its customers. It is now quite possible, in many stores, for a counter payment to lead to home delivery; Or that visiting the store precedes the online purchase. In other words, more and more stores are turning into ‘showrooms’. As a result, social ties and functions were preserved.
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