Still shopping on the high street

The French are keen DIYers, and they are sticking with bricks-and-mortar retail outlets, even if they have been flirting with e-commerce for a while now. It is a case of the end dictating the means: doing research online, by all means. But buying the product online? For the majority of shoppers, not yet.
That is the verdict reached by a large-scale study that the French DIY retail association FMB (Fédération des magasins de bricolage et de l'aménagement de la maison) commissioned from the market research company Opinionway and presented at the end of 2017. The study concluded that, although DIY stores remain the preferred shopping location for French DIY enthusiasts, the two channels of stationary and online retailing actually complement one another.
The vast majority of French people - around 90 per cent - claim that they engage in DIY at least once a year. 51 per cent do a spot of DIY at least once a month. The key question for the sector is where do they source their ideas and information, and where do they ultimately make their purchases?
For the French, the function of sales and information channels seems to be clearly defined. Before going shopping they go on the Internet - 70 per cent of respondents do that. But even on the Internet, the big DIY retailers are still the first port of call. Their websites are the most frequently visited (37 per cent), well out in front of the blogs specialising in DIY (16 per cent), pure players or marketplaces (8 per cent) or tips and opinions found on social networks (5 per cent). By comparison, 60 per cent seek information and advice in high street stores prior to making a purchase.
When it comes to the actual purchase, bricks-and-mortar stores are way ahead. 84 per cent of respondents indicated that they prefer these stores, and 88 per cent said that they had actually gone there to buy the product. Topping the list in this case - preferred by 76 per cent and visited by 81 per cent - are the big DIY store groups. Smaller shops or DIY departments in department stores were only cited to a smaller extent and were preferred by 8 per cent and visited by 29 per cent.

Online shops perform much more poorly than the stationary retail trade and are only preferred by 15 per cent. However, 42 per cent of respondents use them…