The pandemic boosted retail ecommerce sales across the world and fueled double-digit gains in France and Germany in 2020. This year, both countries will see single-digit growth, as physical retail begins to recover.

While doubling down on its embedded finance solution puts Younited Credit in competition with the likes of Klarna and Afterpay, the booming ecommerce market in France could also present a lucrative growth opportunity.

Retail sales in France have taken a body blow during the coronavirus crisis, but digital retail is seeing gains. We expect retail ecommerce sales in France to total $77.27 billion (€69.01 billion) this year, compared with $66.00 billion (€58.94 billion) in 2019.

Sustainability is a hot topic, especially in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. In 2021, most ecommerce buyers, sellers, and logistics firms are taking steps to be more eco-friendly. But commitment and progress are patchy.

Don’t confuse social commerce with ecommerce. Social media platforms will never be Amazon. While most traditional ecommerce purchases start with a product search—which requires intent—social media’s sweet spot lies in discovery.

According to a December 2020 Cheetah Digital and Econsultancy survey of consumers in the US, UK, Australia, Spain, France, and Japan, over half (52%) felt that ads on social media sites that were based on their recent shopping experiences on other sites were “creepy,” versus 48% who felt these were “cool.”