An Introduction to European Fashion Marketplaces (Part 1/2: France)

Fashion and accessories are becoming increasingly popular in the field of online shopping. New marketplaces in the fashion industry provide online retailers with much more opportunities to expand their businesses, for example, being able to offer their products internationally. Here, in the first part of our report, you can read about three well known marketplaces in France, as well as download guides on how to sell on these sites with Lengow.

Fashion Marketplaces in France: an overview

Marketplaces are huge in France. The figures speak for themselves: the 15 most visited websites in France are marketplaces, and ten of these are local ones. 32% of French shoppers have shopped within the last six months on marketplaces. In France, the clothing, footwear, accessories, and home textiles sectors make on average 5.4 million euros, which makes a total market share of 10%.

According to the recently published Ecommerce Benchmark & Fashion Report from Ecommerce Foundation, women’s fashion accounts for the largest share in the fashion industry at 41%, with men’s fashion at 19%.

Most of the fashion industry consists of omni-players (56%) and online pure players (44%).

Nenad Cetkovic, COO of Lengow, on fashion marketplaces for e-commerce:

In the fashion industry an omni-channel strategy is essential – this is particularly the case for high-end brands. M-Commerce holds a significant place in e-commerce trends, especially in the fashion industry, with buying behaviour varying between country. In France, for example, we see more and more specialised marketplaces such as Privalia and Menlook. These marketplaces appeal to a very specific audience and often achieve better conversion rates compared to more general marketplaces.

Menlook – The Go-To Marketplace for Menswear

With more than 500,000 active customers, having bought their German competitors Frontlineshop.de last June for 30 million euros, fashion marketplace Menlook is now pursuing a more international strategy in 2016.

Now the European market leader for menswear, Menlook was founded in 2010 and earlier this year moved its store online. The site has a wide selection of new brands, designers, and collections. Menlook has gained hundreds of international partners and a customer base of 120 nationalities.

The online shop has now had more than 40,000 product references in over 125 countries: including the UK, USA, Germany, Italy, Australia, Japan, and Singapore.

To find out more about Menlook audiences, key business figures, their business model, services, existing customers, and how to sell on this marketplace with Lengow, download the free Menlook Guide.

La Redoute – A 90% female customer base

La Redoute is the place to go for online fashion in France. The site has 11 million customers in France and 9 million unique visitors per month. 35% of online shoppers in France are LaRedoute customers, and the store is available in 26 countries. La Redoute also has a brand awareness of 99% in France. The marketplace is now working with 450 well-known brands and sellers in clothing, footwear, accessories and home & living.

90% of their customers are female, half of them between the ages of 25-49 years. The market also has a very high customer loyalty rate.

Learn more about La Redoute in our guide for online retailers. Find out quickly and easily how the marketplace works, and how to sell your products on this marketplace with Lengow, plus learn about the business model of La Redoute, their target groups, and what services you can expect from selling with them.

Brand Alley – the no.1 private shopping club in Europe

Brand Alley organises online sales events for its members, with up to 70% off major brands from around the world. Here, customers will find their favourite brands in a unique and exclusive environment. The market has had a 10-year track record and is currently available in Germany, France, UK, Italy and Spain.

The numbers speak for themselves with more than 12 million registered users, and 5.5 million unique visitors per month.

BrandAlley is an all-rounder. When we look at the target group of the marketplace, 69% of customers are female and 31% male, and every age group is represented (more info on this in our dedicated guide). Online retailers and brands can increase their visibility enormously, and at BrandAlley, they use many marketing campaigns on multiple different platforms – for example, email campaigns, SEO, push marketing, cross-merchandising, retargeting, and community management.

For more information about BrandAlley, and how to sell on this marketplace, take a look at our free dedicated guide.

If you are already a Lengow customer, and want to learn about more marketplaces, simply make an appointment with our Help Center.

Not a Lengow customer yet? Arrange a free demo! And you can always reach us via email at: contact@lengow.uk

Plus, follow us on Twitter @Lengow_UK for the latest news from the world of ecommerce!

Part 2 here.