Online sales resist inflationary pressure

Global e-commerce continues to grow… slowly but surely. With a 3% increase in online sales in the 3rd quarter of 2024, supported by a 4% increase in traffic, e-commerce seems to be driven by Europe. Indeed, North America is experiencing a slowdown (United States +1%, Canada 0%), while Europe stands out for its dynamism:

• The France stays the course with +3%.
• L’Germany shows robust growth of 5%.
• The United Kingdom increases by 2%.
• L’Spain and theItaly surprise with respective jumps of 8% and 13%.

These figures reveal the remarkable capacity for adaptation of European retailers. Faced with inflation and geopolitical uncertainties, they have been able to reinvent their approach, focusing on personalization and omnichannel to attract an increasingly demanding consumer.

Booming sectors, revealing new consumer priorities

Sector analysis also provides insight into changing consumer values ​​and priorities. Among the best performing sectors: toys and educational products (+18%), sports shoes (+12%) as well as health and beauty products (+10%). Conversely, certain sectors such as interior furniture (-9%), luxury clothing (-2%) and luxury leather goods (-2%) recorded declines. These sectoral dynamics highlight a significant change in consumer expectations, where priorities adapt to a more active and well-being-oriented lifestyle. This phenomenon is part of a broader transformation that also affects the way purchases are made.

The mobile first trend is accelerating, redefining the customer experience

The study highlights an underlying trend: mobile is establishing itself as the preferred purchasing channel, with traffic growth of 5%, while desktop is declining (-1%). “ This shift to mobile is not just a question of technology », underlines Florent Chaussade, Vice-President Retail Consumer Goods at Salesforce France. “ It reflects a profound change in consumption habits. Purchases become more spontaneous, more integrated into daily life. Brands that know how to create fluid and engaging mobile experiences will be the big winners of tomorrow. » The retail sector is entering a new era. An era where immediacy, personalization and eco-responsibility become the pillars of a successful purchasing experience.

Marketing teams are reducing their efforts on email campaigns

With consumers becoming more conscious about their spending, it is essential that marketing departments adopt a more efficient approach, while navigating an economic environment marked by inflation and shrinking budgets.

These latter therefore choose to reduce the number of emails sent. In the third quarter of 2024, the marketing email sending rate increased by only 2%, instead of the +6% observed in the same quarter of the previous year. Down 17% compared to the previous year, SMS is no longer popular, given the increase in the rate of unsubscribe requests to 0.5%.

While marketing teams are reviewing their communication strategies, consumers are turning to new technologies to optimize their purchases, particularly during festive periods.

Consumers are adopting AI to find the perfect gift

According to another report from Salesforce, 17% of online purchases were influenced by AIwhether predictive or generative. In total, online sales during last year’s holidays reached $199 million worldwide in November and December alone.

This year, consumers will rely more and more on AI – consciously or not – to find the perfect gift at the best price. Indeed, 53% of shoppers surveyed say they are interested in using generative AI to inspire them when choosing the ideal gift. Salesforce predicts that site search will increase the conversion rate by almost 3x, compared to traffic without interacting with this feature.

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