E-commerce in France

Of the more than 66 million people living in France, over 40 million shop online. This growth is mainly due to consumers placing orders online more frequently. French shoppers are becoming more price-conscious, which is causing the average order value to decline. Major platforms such as Amazon, Shein, Temu, and Vinted are becoming increasingly popular. Secondhand sales are also growing rapidly. Read on to find out what you need to consider if you want to enter the French market with your online store.

Product requirements

If your products comply with EU legislation, you are allowed to sell them in France. Do check whether product requirements (in Dutch) in France are the same as in the Netherlands, as France has additional requirements for dietary supplements, food, and medicines. In some cases, special labelling requirements may apply.

French rules and regulations

If you sell products to French customers, you have to abide by French laws and regulations. They may differ from the laws and regulations you are used to in the Netherlands. For example, France has stricter regulations for packaging and recyling. Also consider also how the French GDPR works.

Packaging

With the anti-waste law AGEC (in French), France aims to increase the proportion of recycled packaging compared to disposable packaging. In addition to packaging, the law also covers the materials from which products are made.

Recycling

Recycling rules in France are based on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). In French, this is called Responsabilité Élargie du Producteur (REP). Are you the first in the chain to market products in France? For example, packaged electrical and electronic appliances or products containing batteries. If so, as a Producteur you are responsible for managing these products throughout their lifetime. 

RVO has information on how to comply with French packaging and recycling regulations (in Dutch).

GDPR in France

In France, the GDPR is called the Règlement général sur la protection des données (RGPD). This is the data protection law. You can only sell to customers after they have given you permission to collect their data. You must also store data securely. The French organisation Commission nationale de l'informatique et des libertés (CNIL) checks whether businesses comply with the rules.

Apply for a local domain name

The French domain name administrator Afnic assigns domain names with the .fr land code extension. Individuals and EU companies without a French branch can also apply for a .fr domain name through an authorised registrar, which will submit your application to Afnic. Afnic has a directory of authorised registrars including Dutch companies. You can search the overview by name or country. Make sure your website and your general terms and conditions fits with local laws and regulations.

Your French customers

Make your webshop attractive to French customers. French people prefer to shop in a French-language webshop. Have the translation done or checked by a native speaker. Someone who speaks and writes French perfectly. This will make the texts on your webshop feel familiar to French customers. This increases the chance that a visitor will actually buy something. Also make sure that communication via your customer service is in French. The level of English in France is lower than in the Netherlands, for example.

Apply for a .fr extension for your online shop. Research shows that 90% of the French population trusts online shops with a local extension, which means they will be more likely to buy something.

The main search channel (in Dutch) for reaching a French audience is Google. Make sure to check the most important keywords for your business and product and use them – in French – in your website content. You can also advertise via Google and Instagram Shopping.

Marketplaces

If you are not ready to open your own French webshop, you can offer your products on a marketplace. As a provider on this platform, you will make contact with French customers. French consumers also like to shop on online marketplaces.

One difference from the Netherlands is that French consumers still have a great deal of trust in domestic platforms. As a result, France is less dependent on a single major player than, for example, the Netherlands is with Bol and Amazon.

Many marketplaces require you to have French customer service. For this, you need employees who speak French. Popular marketplaces in France are:

• Amazon
• Cdiscount
• Fnac
• Zalando

French consumers are increasingly buying secondhand products. This aligns with price-conscious and sustainable purchasing habits. As a result, marketplaces such as Leboncoin and Vinted are popular. Vinted is currently one of the largest fashion retailers in France.

E-commerce trust marks

France has fewer well-known e-commerce trust marks than the Netherlands. French consumers primarily look for:

• Reviews from other customers.
• A French-language online store.
• Clear return policies.
• Secure payment methods.
• A French return address or national customer service.

These aspects are often more important than a quality mark. Sector organisation Fevad has its own trust mark (in French), which is part of the E-commerce Europe trust marks network. Other examples of quality marks are:

• Afnor Certification
• Trusted Shops
• France Verif

Payment methods

Make sure that your online shop offers French payment methods. French consumers want to pay quickly, easily and securely. They prefer to pay via PayPal or with a credit or debit card. The most widely used card for online payments is Carte Bancaire. Formerly some of these cards were called Carte Bleue and many French people still use that name.

The European payment system Wero will replace the French payment system Paylib. Wero works throughout the EU and by the end of 2027 will be used mainly in countries paying with the euro. With your webshop, you will soon receive payments from French customers just as easily as from Dutch ones.

VAT on distance sales in France

Do you deliver products to French consumers via your webshop in the Netherlands? Then you must apply the French VAT rate. The same applies to sales to French businesses and organisations without a VAT identification number. More information on French VAT rates and those of other member states can be found in the European Commission’s Taxes in Europe database. The French term for VAT is Taxe sur la Valeur Ajoutée or TVA. Direction générale du Trésor is the French tax authority.

There are 2 ways to file French VAT returns:

1. Apply for a French VAT number and file local VAT returns in France.
2. Sign your company up for the Union scheme under the One-Stop-Shop system of the Dutch Tax Administration, who will then pass on the VAT to France.

The EU has a threshold amount of €10,000 per calendar year. This threshold applies to your sales to French customers together with your other intra-EU sales to individuals. Do you remain below this threshold each year? Then, as a Dutch webshop, you may charge Dutch VAT.

Read more about VAT and international business.

Key figures

Online sales in France continue to grow. French e-commerce turnover was €196.4 billion in 2025. This represents an increase of 7% compared to 2024. Online sales of products rose by 4%. Online services rose by 9% to €108.4 billion.

The French e-commerce market continues to grow but more slowly than a few years ago:

• 13.8% growth in 2022
• 10.5% growth in 2023
• 9.6% growth in 2024
• 7% growth in 2025

French e-commerce umbrella organisation Fevad has reports and press releases on the e-commerce market in France. These reports are available in French and English.