How do the French decide what to buy online? This is the question posed by the Sofinscope barometer, an OpinionWay survey conducted for Sofinco.
The study was conducted among 1,006 people representative of the French population, who were surveyed on May 6 and 7, 2026.
A nearly universal habit
96% of French people shop online. 71% shop every month and 21% every week (+4 percentage points compared to February 2025).
The reasons for choosing the Internet over brick-and-mortar stores are primarily economic: better deals top the list (51%), followed by saving time (48%), a wider selection (43%), the ability to shop without leaving home (41%), and easy price comparison (40%).
Beauty products hold steady in stores but are growing online
When it comes to buying cosmetics, stores remain the preferred channel. 62% of French people prefer to buy them in stores, compared to 37% who buy them online. But this category stands out: it is one of the few to be growing online, up 4 points from February 2025, while most others are declining.
Trust: the key to success
Payment is a major source of concern. 83% of French consumers might abandon a purchase if they don’t feel confident when entering their payment information.
69% of respondents would abandon the process if it were too complicated, and …
