Sell on Amazon

and gain additional revenue

Statistically, most Poles speak English and German.

French at least at a communicative level is spoken by only... 1% of the population. It is therefore no wonder that Polish retailers are not so keen to enter the French e-commerce market. The language barrier effectively inhibits the vision of achieving success in France. However, the smarter ones know that this is a relatively small problem in relation to the possible benefits.

To introduce them to you, let me give you some figures. 

France, is the 2nd most populous country in the European Union and also ranks 10th in terms of the highest GDP per Capita in Europe. In addition, these wealthy French are 89% active internet users.

This is one of the reasons why, in the e-commerce sector, it is the 6th most active market in the world and the 3rd in Europe. We are only outnumbered by Germany and the UK, although the latter, due to Brexit, continues to falter.

But the best thing is that the French are not afraid to buy from abroad. More than 1/4 of internet users regularly buy products from the European Union. This represents a potential of 40 million new customers for Polish entrepreneurs.

The French are buying on Cdiscount

Two players reign supreme in the French e-commerce market, claiming almost half of the total turnover. The multinational Amazon boasts a turnover of € 2.1 billion per year, but right behind it, with € 2.0 billion, is the local Cdiscount. And it is to it that we want to convince you today.

Cdiscount is a sales platform that was founded 20 years ago and is still growing. The French platform features 40 million products, listed by more than 10 000 registered sellers from over 150 countries around the world. Currently, only a few hundred Polish entrepreneurs are active on the platform. 

As a marketplace that builds its PR by responding to customers' needs, Cdiscount offers a lot of facilities, for both sides of the sale. Among other things, it encourages:

• no sales limits,
• no obligation for registered retailers,
• the possibility of displaying products free of charge.

Delivery to France is not a problem

It's known, it's not Germany, that delivery from Poland would be so pleasant. Is it?

The French e-commerce platform offers a warehousing service, the equivalent of which we know as Amazon FBA. Cdiscount has 500,000 m2 of warehouses across the country. As an added benefit, especially for first-time entrepreneurs, the first 2 weeks of free storage in France will be free of charge. 

What if you prefer to ship directly from Poland? 

The solution is to hire an outsourcing company, a so-called marketplace agency, for which one of the main tools to work with e-commerce entrepreneurs is the ability to negotiate. Commercebay is just such a company.

Our specialists usually have special contractual conditions worked out with carriers. We realise that the customer, in addition to a great product, expects a low price and fast delivery. Thanks to our many years of experience in the industry and the number of customers we serve, we are able to negotiate an individual price for a shipment, even an express one. In addition, you don't have to worry about any delivery problems, as this is left to the agency.

Language barrier 

And now we're going to tell you that you don't need to know a single French word to make a business presence in the French market. And not at all with the help of Google Translator 😉.

On the one hand, it is well known that a good description sells. Once a customer has arrived at your product page, he or she wants to be sure that this is the best choice. A product description, written in correct French, is one of the most important factors that builds customer confidence in your company. 

On the other hand, what about customer service? It is said that French people do not like to speak other languages, even if they know them. Perhaps this is just a stereotype. What is certain, however, is that most customers like to be served in their native language. 

The solution could be an external company, such as Commercebay, which handles the entire foreign sales process linguistically. This is also handled by a good marketplace agency. However, you need to make sure that this type of company employs experts who specialise specifically in the French market and have real experience in this field. 

How much does Cdiscount cost?

When selling on Cdiscount, you will be billed a subscription and commission on sales. The subscription fee for the seller is €39.99. The commission, depending on the type of product, varies from 5% to 20%. To recalculate your sales well, it is worth checking the list of commissions, available on the Cdiscount website. 

In conclusion, if you are considering the next market to sell your products, or perhaps, this is the first foreign market you are interested in, keep in mind the possible benefits. If you have any doubts that we have not resolved with the above text, feel free to write to us or give us a call.

Our experts know French e-commerce inside out and will be happy to advise you on how to navigate it.