Posted on Apr 4, 2020 at 3:00 p.m.
Locked up for two weeks, the French are reviewing their shopping lists … and priorities. Leaving hypermarkets in favor of local shops and e-commerce, the population has changed its consumption habits. And upset the top sales of stores and merchant sites, with some surprises.
“Les Echos” surveyed the distributors to understand what the needs of the French were now. A clue: the third album the most downloaded in recent days on the Amazon platform is none other than “All under cover”, by rapper Rohff. Detailed review.
1. Razzia on IT
At Auchan, the best-selling podium is occupied by three references of ink cartridges for printers. The other distributors make the same observation: the ink is the new black gold! The generalization of homework, online courses for 12.3 million students, exit certificates are all reasons to make impressions at home.
In two weeks, no less than 150,000 reams of paper were sold in Auchan stores in France, a jump of 200% compared to the weeks preceding confinement. Buying fever logically also affected printers. The figures speak for themselves: Auchan has sold 50% more printers and computers than a “normal” period. “There was a peak in attendance as soon as the schools were closed, people understood that they needed computers and equipment for their children,” says one of the signs.
In addition, to occupy their offspring the parents bet on board games and puzzles. “All the books, board games, family games and educational games have exploded,” confirms Fnac Darty’s sales director, Vincent Gufflet. “Home lessons for children under ten don’t last eight hours a day, you have to be able to have fun without necessarily putting them in front of a tablet,” he continues.
Confinement did not, however, favor DVDs. “Their sales continue to be down, people are now favoring streaming platforms,” interpreted one from a French distributor.
2. Back to the kitchen
Just before quarantine, the French first made food reserves in the supermarkets and bought enough to store them. “The refrigerators and freezers were taken by storm at Darty’s,” notes Vincent Gufflet. The washing machines were not outdone either, as were all the large end-of-life appliances that some were slow to replace.
“The other booming segment is that of home cooking,” adds the latter. Robot cooks, yogurt makers, ice cream makers, bread makers, waffle makers… consumers are increasingly moving towards home-made products. Hence, in supermarkets, the exponential demand for “basic food products such as flour, eggs, sugar, butter and yeast”, explains a spokesperson for Monoprix and Franprix, brands of the Casino group. .
Same echo at Auchan where an anecdote circulates, that of the consumer who had ordered 600 liters of milk in a drive on the first day of confinement. “Enough to make a lot of cakes,” we joke. Others even start making pasta with spaghetti machines.
The French have also rediscovered the use of household appliances. “We are seeing a real return of consumers to tools they already had but which they had neglected, not knowing how to use them well. We are therefore launching tutorials to learn how to use certain small appliances, ”explains Vincent Gufflet at Fnac Darty.
3. Hygiene frenzy
Who says epidemic and confinement says need to protect themselves. In all of the Casino group’s brands, one item is particularly popular: household gloves, with a 276% increase in sales compared to last week. This is confirmed by the figures from the IRI institute on French purchases this week.
Bleach is not far behind, up 81% at Monoprix and Franprix. Dishwashing products are also popular, at + 90% over seven days. “We are at home, we do the cleaning,” summarizes a spokesperson for the Casino group. And we disinfect.
Because the Covid-19 pandemic has awakened hygienist anxiety in the population. At Darty, air purifiers are sold like hotcakes, “especially when you know that indoor air is at least as polluted as outdoor air”, adds Vincent Gufflet.
On Amazon, anything that closely or remotely looks like protective gear goes by in a matter of minutes. Latex gloves, dust masks, and even “designer” masks. One of the best-selling references in the clothing category is a “protective mask against infections in knitted silk”.
E-commerce reveals other successes. In Amazon’s sales barometer, in the beauty and fragrance segment, hair clippers and dyes are at the top of sales. Hair clippers and beards, epilators, machines for heating wax … the French are developing new skills.
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