Shopping online or in-store: It's the same, right? Not exactly

Shopping online is easy: an electronic device, an internet connection, a credit card, and you're all set. All without leaving your home. Yet, behind the apparent simplicity of e-commerce, it's an entire (not exactly eco-friendly) industry that gears up to get packages to our doorsteps.

The Omnipresence of E-Commerce and Its Impact on Consumption

E-Commerce in Demand

Technological advancements have changed our consumption habits. Evidence: increasingly demanding consumers visit both online stores and physical shops indiscriminately. Thus, offline commerce (physical stores in cities and/or shopping centers) coexists with online commerce (e-commerce). As a result, consumers can purchase almost anything, anytime, anywhere in the world.

Generalist platforms like Amazon, Cdiscount, and more recently Temu coexist with specialized platforms (Fnac, Darty, Chapitre…) that sometimes combine e-commerce sites with physical stores. All it takes is an internet connection, a smartphone or computer, and a credit card within reach to make a purchase.

Rapid Growth

The numbers speak for themselves: according to Fevad (French Federation of E-Commerce and Distance Selling), 2.35 billion online transactions were conducted in 2023.

159.9 billion euros

were spent online in 2023 (including products and services).

Source: Fevad

Moreover, according to the specialized news site LSA, more than 27,000 online stores are created each year in France.

What Issues Are at the Heart of Online Shopping Behavior?

E-commerce is popular because it allows easy, quick, and efficient acquisition of a wide range of products and services. One of its advantages: simplifying the comparison of items, their prices, and their features, as all this information is just a click away. This reflex is also adopted by consumers in physical stores: a smartphone is all it takes to compare in-store prices with those of products offered online.

In terms of recommendations (which can come from specialized forums, online communities, blogs, or even merchant sites), digital platforms play a major role:

91%

of consumers who consult online reviews trust them.

Source: Fevad

Significant Consequences

However, e-commerce has negative consequences at several levels, as demonstrated by some studies from Ademe (French Agency for Ecological Transition) and CGDD (General Commissariat for Sustainable Development).

E-Commerce Encourages Overconsumption

Driven by various promotions, reminders, and free returns, consumers overconsume. Offers are constant:

Promotional codes on retailer sites during occasional or recurring events (Mother's Day, sports competitions, etc.).
Temporary codes on dedicated sites (like Radins.com).
Online promotional periods (such as Black Friday).
Cashback practices, allowing consumers to get money back... when they spend (like on the site iGraal).

E-consumers are thus constantly solicited, which contributes to irrational purchasing behavior.

Colossal Environmental Impact

140,000 tons

of waste is generated annually by online shopping.

Source: Ademe

In terms of logistics, online order deliveries have a disastrous impact on the environment. Waste accumulates, and natural resources used excessively are depleted.

Packaging boxes are often excessively large compared to the items they contain, simply because they are standardized. Excessive packaging leads to waste. In 60% of cases, the empty space represents more than a quarter of the packaging volume, according to a study by packaging manufacturer DS Smith.

Energy supply, especially electricity, significantly contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. The manufacturing and delivery of products by trucks (not to mention returns) increase the carbon footprint of online shopping - production is generally outsourced - and face the constraint of increasingly shorter delivery times to satisfy consumers.

Degraded Working Conditions and Erosion of Social Interactions

For several years, the working conditions of e-commerce employees have been regularly criticized. Sick leaves and workplace accidents are on the rise, notably at Amazon. Heavy lifting, relentless pace, pressure, result-oriented demands, and excessive management surveillance are integral parts of the daily life of Amazon employees.

Socially, human interactions tend to diminish as there are fewer and fewer human intermediaries in online purchases. If a consumer encounters a problem or wants to ask a question, they usually have to resort to a conversation with a chatbot (conversational computer program), which replaces all human interaction.

The Viability of Physical Retail Threatened

In terms of employment, very small and small to medium-sized retail businesses suffer particularly from the rise of e-commerce, especially in the clothing sector.

Economically, e-commerce can be held responsible for the closure of many small businesses (13,200 closed at the beginning of 2023) and the resulting layoffs. The viability of physical retail is thus inevitably threatened, particularly in city centers. Furthermore, retailers face heavy costs (rent, storage…).

What Solutions?

The COVID-19 pandemic encouraged online shopping due to the closure of physical stores and social distancing requirements. But even as the health situation has returned to normal, this trend persists and is growing.

However, both sellers and consumers can take action to sustainably limit the impacts of e-commerce.

Optimizing Package Delivery

Retailers can optimize deliveries by streamlining packaging. For example, by opting for appropriately sized packages: eliminating "empty space," modifying box folding, and avoiding excessive packaging. The goal is to obtain less polluting, eco-friendly, recyclable, or reusable packaging – without falling into the trap of greenwashing.

From the first reuse [of a box], it’s – 83% CO2!
Jean-Yves Gras, General Manager of Colissimo

These objectives are thus at the heart of the AGEC Law (Anti-Waste Law for a Circular Economy, February 2020), which mandates that 5% of packaging on the market be reusable by 2025, and 10% by 2027.

Is Second-Hand a Good Idea?

E-consumers can turn to second-hand options, particularly in fashion, cultural products, games, and high-tech items: sites like Leboncoin, Vinted, eBay, Rakuten, and Vestiaire Collective have made this their business model. There is something for everyone, and reusing items can help reduce the negative impact of online shopping.

However, be cautious of psychological phenomena such as addiction: low prices can be accompanied by a sense of guilt-free shopping, potentially leading to impulsive - or even compulsive - buying behavior.

Your Turn!

As an e-consumer, you can also reduce the negative impact of e-commerce at your level by:

Making as many purchases as possible in physical stores.
Choosing delivery to a pickup point rather than your home, and picking up your purchases on foot or by bike.
Prioritizing products made in France.
Informing yourself about the social and ethical criteria, and environmental respect of the platforms you use for ordering.
Opting (in moderation) for the circular economy: second-hand, refurbished, recycled products…
Rationalizing your buying behavior with more considered orders, prepared in advance, and avoiding returns as much as possible.