According to latest figures by IGD, online retailing for food and consumer goods in France is set to double over the next three years from €5bn to €10.6bn, ranking it second in Europe after the UK.
The research also found that Germany is predicted to reach €2.5bn in online sales by 2016, up from its current value of €1.1bn, holding third position.
Growth in France will be driven primarily by the expansion of ‘click and collect’ - or ‘Drive’ as it is known is some markets - with the number of Drive outlets in the country doubling in the past 15 months.
The increase in Germany’s online grocery market can be attributed to retailers such as Edeka and Rewe, who have recently invested into the channel and continue to expand, IGD noted.
IGD’s research also found that online grocery shopping in the UK - which ranks first in Europe - is forecast to be worth €13.7bn by 2016, while the Netherlands, in fourth place, is projected to be worth €1.6bn.
“Online retailing in food and consumer goods is growing at a phenomenal rate across Europe,' said Joanne Denney-Finch, chief executive of IGD. 'Technology is empowering people, fundamentally changing the way they buy groceries. Online shoppers are becoming more demanding and the divisions between online and bricks and mortar stores are blurring.
“Although we forecast the value of online grocery retailing to double in several European countries over the next few years, each market is evolving using different models, highlighting that there is no one-size-fits-all approach,' she explained. 'We predict that the online channel will continue to accelerate at rapid pace globally and is set to rise further up the agenda as retailers and manufacturers continue to invest in their multichannel operations.”
