If you’re a retailer and considering to start selling on marketplaces but also want to go beyond the national borders, then Cdiscount could be an interesting solution for you. The second-largest online marketplace in France doesn’t have many external sellers yet. With only 13.000 partners, there is not much competition on the platform. Therefore, now would be a good time for sellers to start using Cdiscount.
In this article, we’ll discuss the ins and outs regarding this major French marketplace and go over things such as:
Founded in 1998, Cdiscount is one of the largest e-commerce companies in France. At first, the platform only sold its own products. Later, in 2011, the company launched its marketplace for external partners.
Since 2000, it has been a subsidiary of Groupe Casino, a French retail group founded more than 100 years ago. Today, Groupe Casino has branches in Europe, South America and South Asia. Groupe Casino has an annual net turnover of 32 billion euros. Here’s what you need to know about Cdiscount:
Cdiscount can be seen as an online catalogue that sells articles in almost all product categories. The only thing you will not find on this marketplace is fresh food. Cdiscount is the right place for you if you’re looking for:
The French e-commerce market is the third-largest in Europe following Germany and the United Kingdom. Cdiscount has been a leader in French e-commerce for many years, although it was recently surpassed by Amazon.fr. However, Cdiscount is less competitive and doesn't have nearly as many sellers on the platform as Amazon.
For several years, Cdiscount has had an important policy of recruiting foreign sellers and has been establishing partnerships to help international suppliers integrate with its market.
Encouraging and supporting cross-border trade is an important part of Cdiscount's strategy.
By offering low prices, Cdiscount is known for attracting price-conscious consumers in particular. The platform mainly shows products in the buy box that comes from sales partners offering the lowest prices, while not taking into account any other factors. Furthermore, Cdiscount focuses primarily on young people with an interest in technology, as the French retailer is big in selling computers and tech products.
If you are a professional retailer with a VAT number, you are eligible to create a sales account on Cdiscount. However, approval from the retailer is required and you must first fill out an online form. You can get started right away after Cdiscount approves the submission.
The seller interface is available online or via an API. The sales process depends on whether the products are already in the Cdiscount catalogue. For catalogue products, you add the status of the product - new or used. You can also enter the price and stock. Once the stock is added, it appears on the Cdiscount site and is visible to customers.
For products that are not yet in the catalogue, send data by e-mail or through the Cdiscount API. In both cases, Cdiscount integrates new product information itself. Unlike on Amazon’s marketplace, sellers have no influence on the range of products on Cdiscount.
As a seller, you pay a fixed monthly fee of € 39.99 to offer your products on Cdiscount’s platform. In addition, you are charged a variable commission on the products sold. This is between 4.5 and 20 per cent.
Cdiscount offers buyers the choice between:
You pay shipping costs for all options. However, if the consumer picks up the package at a point of sale, you pay no extra costs. There is also the option to outsource the logistics to Cdiscount with the online retailer’s fulfilment service.
Selling on Cdiscount is especially rewarding if you are able to offer the lowest prices. The retailer is particularly active in selling computers, electronics and home appliances. If you offer these products, chances are you will attract a good number of visitors. Cdiscount also focuses on recruiting sellers of home decoration, jewellery and luggage products.
There is no way to optimize product information to suit the search engine as Cdiscount creates all product information itself. As a seller, you will need a low price in order to sell successfully on the marketplace. The platform has its own tool to continuously revise prices, giving sellers the ability to set a bottom price for each product. The price is automatically reduced by 1 cent each time until the bottom price is reached. Selling on Cdiscount really works for you if you can afford to offer your products at low prices.
Are you thinking of expanding your business beyond national borders and need advice on working out a strategy to do so successfully? Get in touch with one of our consultants to discuss the possibilities for your brand. Brandsom offers a wide range of marketplace related services that will benefit your sales on various marketplaces. Our consultants have experience helping brands with advertisement, content optimisation, translations, integration and logistics services.
Find more information on our homepage, check out our service page or contact us at contact@brandsom.nl / 030-2270520 and request a no-obligation consultation.