The dropshipping market - France

Dropshipping offers an opportunity to launch an online sales business without the need to stock every product. In this model, sales are made via the merchant's website, but it is the the supplier who takes care of shipping the products ordered by the initial customer. Consequently, the site owner, also known as the dropshipper, focuses primarily on marketing and product presentation to optimize online visibility and increase sales. Whether international or domestic, the dropshipping market is experiencing positive growth. In fact, by 2022, the global dropshipping market will be worth several hundred billion dollars, with growth forecasts estimated at 25 % between 2023 and 2032. In France, e-commerce sales are growing at a rate of 13,8% in 2022. The market attracts sellers and suppliers thanks to its positive points. Indeed, dropshipping offers significant advantages for the seller, these include the absence of inventory management and shipping logistics, and the potential to launch an e-commerce business without investing in initial stock. It also eliminates the risk of unsold stock, and enables rapid creation of a rich and varied catalog. For suppliersthe advantages are just as attractive. They don't have to set up a website to market their products, maximizing sales opportunities and distribution channels. This approach allows them to concentrate effectively on their core business. Dropshipping is often associated with marketplaces, although they are not the same thing. Marketplaces are web platforms that bring together competing offers, whether specialized (such as Manomano for DIY) or general (such as Amazon). These platforms act as trusted third parties, bringing together supply and demand, with a commission deducted from each transaction. In dropshipping, unlike marketplaces, the identity of suppliers is not transparentsuppliers' identity is not transparent to buyers. The customer carries out the transaction without knowing that the dropshipping site does not have the product in stock, thus eliminating the risk of users bypassing suppliers directly. Our study focuses on dropshipping in France, which is one aspect of e-commercesome references and figures will focus on French e-commerce.