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Are you an online retailer looking for a logistics solution for order fulfillment in Paris, the North of France, or its surroundings? Then you’ve come to the right place.
E-commerce Market Paris
With more than 2.1 million inhabitants, Paris is not only the capital city of France, it’s also the largest city. But hold on to your seat… if you zoom out for a moment and look at the surroundings, which is called “Région Île-de-France” or the “Grand Paris”, the number gets crazier: 12+ million inhabitants in January 2021. In addition, Paris is also the main attraction point in France on several levels: fashion, luxury, tourism, food, etc. All of this makes the capital city of France, one of the most attractive cities in the world for commerce, e-commerce, and business in general.
Besides that, France is the second largest e-commerce market in the European Union with more than 40 million online shoppers during Q1 2020. E-commerce represents 9.8% of total retail sales in France, which makes this market very attractive. There are more than 200,000 active online stores in France owned or affiliated with the main actors such as Amazon, La Fnac, Cdiscount, Veepee, and E.Leclerc.
Finally, if you take a closer look at Paris and its surroundings, you’ll discover that a vast majority of Parisians buy online (76.3%) which indicates a high e-commerce penetration and thus, makes the region of Paris especially appealing to merchants.
Logistics location Paris
All roads lead to … Paris. In addition to being a very attractive destination, Paris benefits from an attractive strategic location. On a European level, the city is almost in the middle of the western part of Europe. It is the entrance key to the UK, with its high-speed train connection and proximity with the Channel through the Seine (port of Le Havre), which is now even more interesting since Brexit. Moreover, the city is equipped with three major international airports that facilitate a good connection between Europe and the US, in addition to the proximity with the Atlantic Ocean coast, where lots of goods are shipped to and from the US. Therefore, the movement of goods is facilitated for companies, which in the end, brings you closer to your customers, by reducing costs and delays.
If you zoom in, you will see that Paris attracts a lot of economic activities. This is why many companies, such as L’Oréal, Orange, Danone, have their headquarters in Paris. Moreover, there are a lot of logistics and fulfillment areas in Ile-de-France. The railway network – with 7 train stations – connects the whole country and also the main neighboring countries such as Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands.
Paris and in general the northern parts of France, benefit from an advantageous geographical location and lie in the middle of a powerful economic region. The inhabitants in the immediate vicinity represent an attractive target group for e-commerce, which makes the use of a fulfillment warehouse in Paris – or nearby – worth considering for many online companies.
Fulfillment in Paris and the surrounding area – Why is it Important?
As mentioned already, Paris has many things to offer on different levels: economically, touristically, politically, and culturally. The northern part of France also has a quite interesting history. The northern and north-eastern parts are historically industrial regions (mines, construction, heavy industry) and the northwestern part is also historically known for more traditional industries.
As the whole industrial landscape is evolving with more modern and digital tendencies, these regions are transitioning to new markets and converting into high-tech industries. You can easily find these trends just by looking at the so-called new “technopoles” like Rennes, Strasbourg, Lille, or Nantes, which are attracting a lot of companies and people.
Therefore, if there are a lot of your customers living in this region, it is important to store your products geographically close to them. Shipping speed has never been as relevant as it is today. With an e-commerce fulfillment center in the northern part of France, you can reduce delivery times and costs. In addition, you minimize the impact on the environment through shorter shipping routes.
Moreover, and as already said, this order fulfillment location is in direct proximity to the Benelux countries and UK, which simplifies cross-border e-commerce sales as well, making your fulfillment setup scalable and optimized for growth.
What is e-commerce fulfillment in the first place?
E-commerce fulfillment refers to the process of order handling for online shops. In cooperation with a 3PL (Third Party Logistics) partner, the entire order processing is handled hassle-free and without unwanted delays between the fulfillment steps. This includes the storage of products, the packaging, and dispatch of orders, as well as the processing of returns.
With partners like byrd, the fulfillment process is automated, making it more efficient, faster, and less error-prone. Orders are processed without delays and a comprehensive dashboard shows all relevant data in real-time. With the help of customizable packaging, you can also differentiate yourself from other online shops and Amazon Sellers.
E-commerce fulfillment in Paris
As is often the case, there are regional differences and peculiarities in e-commerce logistics. Even today, however, this is still overlooked by many online companies. That, in turn, allows you to be one step ahead of your competitors.
For example, parcel delivery service providers are often an influential factor in the purchase decision. Are you wondering which one is the right fit for your business? Take a look at the most popular parcel delivery companies in France. In addition, learn more about the specificities of the French e-commerce Market to have the full picture.
Fulfillment solution byrd
If you’re looking for a fulfillment partner near Paris, we recommend you explore our services. We operate a European logistics network with fulfillment centers in the leading e-commerce countries in Europe. This makes expansion and cross-border shipping as easy and cost-efficient as possible. Request a quote today and get in touch with one of our e-commerce fulfillment experts, so that we can help you fulfill your potential.
