Thriving in online markets has proved challenging, regardless of the region targeted for the audience. The competitive market and changing trends lead digital companies to change their products, services and brand images continuously. But things are not that easy when promoting yourself in a country where political and social environments are always in trouble.
We’re talking about France, the country with the most delicious cuisine, lavish architecture and fine people. Of course, besides its uniqueness, the government has problems that might hinder companies from attracting people’s attention, especially during difficult times. However, French citizens are known to be impressed by aesthetics, and here’s what we’ll focus on for your growing strategy.
Work on your French
It is widely known that French people love their language and culture. It shows in the number of English speakers, which is not even half of the population. Even if your target audience includes primarily young people, you’ll still have to promote your business in their native language.
So, learn to break the language barrier by analysing what keywords native speakers use because translation might lack the essence of the language. It would be best to look for a native French speaker to enter your digital PR team to collect valuable data for the French market and create valuable content, press releases and reports.
Support sales with the right social media app
According to Statista, French citizens love YouTube and Facebook the most, followed by WhatsApp, Instagram and Snapchat. Interestingly, TikTok is at the bottom of the list, along with X (Twitter). Therefore, you must target your audience and see what platforms they use, but it’s still better to focus on posting and advertising on the media with the most users.
YouTube is not that complex to use when it comes to promotion, but you still have to consider SEO essential for reaching the audience. On the other hand, Facebook has an elaborate system for companies to increase organic and paid traffic, for which you may need the help of a service to outsource SEO if your efforts aren’t showcasing sustainable results.
Mind the competition
The French market can be one of the most competitive in Europe, ranking right after Germany and the UK. Customers prefer using their smartphones for purchasing, with the “click-and-collect” option as the most used. The pandemic heavily influenced people’s buying habits, and the rest of the businesses had to adapt, so even farmers have now developed their eCommerce sites for delivering fresh produce to customers.
Searching through competitors can be difficult, especially with such a saturated market. A thorough market report would include the competitors’ online presence, their online reviews and improvement areas, so for all these aspects, specific tools should be used that would be best provided by a professional digital PR agency. This research would help considerably shape the relationship between the company and the media by assessing specific pain points that French businesses deal with.
Try influencer marketing
Influencer marketing is one of the newest strategies for growing a digital business. It involves reaching a specific target audience with the help of an influencer whose fan base is considerable of the person’s purchasing behaviours.
Mbappé, for example, one of the most successful footballers, collaborated with numerous companies, such as Nike, Hublot and even cryptocurrency. His sudden fame pushed businesses to use his image and fan base as a propelling method of reaching new audiences, which is a fair collaboration.
In France, you’ll find many digital creators who focus on beauty, so this sector will provide you with numerous growth opportunities, but also look for bloggers and expand your search by adding Paris or France in your keywords.
Optimise mobile SEO
As mentioned before, French people prefer searching and buying right from their mobile phones because it’s more convenient. So, what your eCommerce website might lack right now is SEO optimisation for mobile formats that allow customers to scroll and surf the site seamlessly.
Mobile optimisation includes aspects of a mobile-friendly design, smaller pop-ups and a fast-loading website. It’s also crucial for your search bar to be visible and functional because, most of the time, people want to search right for what they’re interested in instead of scrolling mindlessly.
But SEO France is more than that. The impact of your SEO quality will influence your organic search visits because mobile devices drive them, so you can make your job easier by simply having a responsive and dynamic design.
Don’t forget about customer service
Some might say that France's customer service is quite different from other regions. French people won’t be afraid or reluctant to tell you what’s the problem upfront, but French employees might also have a similar attitude, so here, the customer isn’t always right. However, it’s indeed true that clients offered discounts and rewards are most likely to become loyal to the brand but will stop using the service after a bad experience.
No matter where you take your eCommerce, it’s always essential to ensure top-notch customer experience, regardless of the population’s tendency to be more or less blunt about their necessities. It’s also necessary to obtain the tool with which you’re going to measure CX over time because the information gathered will help you find what you’re lacking as a company.
Preparing your employees is your strategy's first and most vital element because it allows customers to get their answers and solve problems with only a quick call. For the younger audience, you can provide a chatbot or a Q&A section on your website that will help them quickly find the answer to their search. Make sure to optimise your keywords so they can find you among the first options on the Google front page.
Bottom line
Improving your eCommerce to fit the French environment is a real challenge. However, you can be successful if you expand the linguistic vision and the website's ease of browsing. Plus, having an impeccable customer experience program will surely bring more clients, especially if you reward them for loyalty.
