The French e-commerce market shows steady growth, but the average basket size is declining. According to the Fevad report published in February 2026 for the year 2025, online sales increased by 7% while the average basket size dropped by 3%. This discrepancy shifts priorities: the profitability of an online business is no longer determined by the gross traffic acquisition, but by purchase frequency, retention, and control of operational costs.
Regulatory obligations for e-commerce: what is changing concretely
We observe that most guides on launching an online business overlook recent legal constraints. However, two texts are changing the rules for any entrepreneur selling products online.
The European regulation on general product safety, applicable since December 13, 2024, requires sellers of non-food products to display on each product page the identification of the manufacturer or the responsible person in the European Union, as well as necessary warnings. Any incomplete product page is subject to penalties.
Digital accessibility has become a requirement for some e-commerce sites. Microenterprises benefit from an exemption under certain conditions, but beyond a certain threshold, a compliance audit is required. Ignoring this aspect risks a formal notice and a compliance cost that far exceeds that of integrating it from the design stage.
The resources available on lesaffairesdunet.fr help map these obligations even before choosing a business model, avoiding costly restructurings after launch.
Online business model: services versus physical products
Online services are growing faster than the sale of physical products in France. This trend, confirmed by Fevad data for 2025, changes the game for new entrants.
Selling a physical product involves a logistics chain (storage, shipping, returns) whose unit cost increases when the average basket size decreases. A service-oriented model (subscription, support, training, booking) reduces this friction and improves the margin per transaction.
Product-service hybridization
We recommend considering hybrid models rather than a binary choice. Combining a physical product with a digital service (custom configuration, post-purchase follow-up, exclusive content) creates a lock-in that price competition alone cannot break.
A concrete example: a sports equipment seller who pairs each order with an online training program no longer competes solely on the product price. He sells an integrated experience, which increases repurchase frequency and customer lifetime value.
Customer loyalty and purchase frequency: the metrics that matter
When the average basket size declines, profitability shifts towards the repurchase rate and the reduction of acquisition costs. Three technical levers deserve special attention.
- Behavioral segmentation of transactional emails: a post-purchase email triggered by the type of product ordered generates a significantly higher open rate than generic newsletters. The automation tool should allow for conditional scenarios, not just calendar-based sends.
- The tiered loyalty program, structured not on the amount spent but on purchase frequency. Rewarding the number of orders rather than the average basket aligns incentives with market trends.
- Proactive return management: a well-designed return portal reduces friction and transforms a negative experience into an opportunity for re-engagement. A customer who easily returns a product comes back more often than one who struggles with a PDF form.
Content strategy and marketing for a profitable online business
Content remains the cheapest long-term acquisition lever, but its production must be driven by data, not intuition. Social media and SEO do not operate the same way depending on the chosen model.
Content focused on business skills
For a service business, content must demonstrate precise sector expertise. Generic blog articles on “how to succeed online” provide no proof of skills. A technical guide that solves a specific problem for the prospect attracts qualified traffic and shortens the decision cycle.
For a product business, short videos (demonstration, comparison, unboxing) on social media generate higher engagement than static visuals. Social shopping is rapidly growing among younger consumers, and companies that integrate direct purchasing features into their posts capture part of this audience.
Attribution and budget allocation
We find that many entrepreneurs distribute their marketing budget evenly across channels. This is a mistake. A multi-touch attribution model, even simplified, allows for identifying the channels that truly contribute to conversion and cutting those that only consume budget without measurable impact.
Measuring the acquisition cost by channel and customer segment each month remains the minimum viable to manage an online business. Without this discipline, marketing decisions rely on impressions, not facts.
Mobile customer experience and simplified purchasing journey
Mobile commerce now represents the majority of online transactions. A site whose mobile purchasing journey exceeds three screens before payment loses a significant share of its conversions.
The most common friction points remain mandatory account creation, lack of one-click payment, and forms not adapted to mobile keyboards. Each additional step between purchase intent and order confirmation costs customers.
An optimized mobile purchasing journey is worth more than an additional advertising campaign. Before investing in acquisition, we recommend auditing the mobile cart abandonment rate and addressing the identified technical causes.
The success of an online business in 2024 relies less on the initial idea than on the execution rigor regarding these fundamentals: regulatory compliance from day one, a business model aligned with the decline in average basket size, measured loyalty, and a frictionless mobile journey. Entrepreneurs who master these four axes start with a head start over those who focus solely on the product.
