“The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the shift towards a more digital world. The changes we make now will have lasting effects as the world economy begins to recover,” said UNCTAD Secretary-General Mukhisa Kituyi. Nowadays consumers prefer shopping online. Digital giants such as Amazon, eBay and AliExpress are still leading, but in Europe a large number of consumers prefer shopping from local online marketplaces.

That’s why exploring further marketplaces provides sellers with extra opportunities to meet increased online product demand in additional markets. Especially in Europe, there are plenty of local marketplaces that attract millions of monthly visits, like Cdiscount.

Local marketplaces tend to offer less competition and they often allow cross-border sales & purchases. As a result, many sellers may find it easier to set a firm foot on alternative channels to Amazon or eBay, especially when some product categories are competitive and saturated.

Additionally, local marketplaces tend to have smaller inventories than the big names. Popular items are easily available on those sites but the long tail (unique or hard-to-find) items may be missing or have a limited availability. As a result, international sellers are usually welcome to fill the gaps on such marketplaces.

With more than 22 million unique visitors per month and 9 million active customers (and 2 million subscribers to the “Cdiscount à Volonté” – CDAV loyalty program), Cdiscount is one of the most visited ecommerce websites and the second largest marketplace in France after Amazon. As Cdiscount positions itself as an online discount retailer, its audience is looking for online deals and special offers. The platform wants to offer top quality products at the lowest possible price and good deals are available all year round.

It offers 70 million products in all categories across 40 different categories: electronics, homeware, clothing, jewelry, health care, entertainment, sports equipment, toys & games, etc. Moreover the e-commerce company has 12,000 active sellers from 70 different countries, but one of its strengths is its well-developed distribution network with over 24,000 pickup points in France for heavy and light products.

The company is investing in cross-border e-commerce too and the role of cross-border trade on Cdiscount is increasing. Since 2018 the platform has allowed merchants to sell in France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Luxembourg, Portugal, Ireland and Netherlands. Moreover Cdiscount is a founding member of the International Marketplace Network (IMN), created in partnership with Real.de (Germany), eMag (Romania) and ePrice (Italy).

France is one of the perfect market for cross-border trade. According to data, the country is one of the biggest economies in Europe and the sixth largest in the world, which makes it an increasingly popular market for international online trade. In terms of logistics, Cdiscount’s logistics expertise can benefit sellers, especially those from international markets with little experience and knowledge of the French market and language.

Finally, in terms of logistics, Cdiscount’s logistics expertise can benefit sellers, especially those from international markets with little experience and knowledge of the French market and language.