Among the tortured loves, the relationship that the French have with Amazon would be placed in a good position, somewhere between Romeo & Juliet, Helga Pataki & Arnold and Ross & Rachel. It is an understatement to say that the e-commerce giant is being severely criticized in the country. In 2020, Cédric O, Secretary of State for Digital at the time, even mentioned to the National Assembly “a French psychosis on Amazon which does not make much sense”, following a call for a boycott against the site for Christmas shopping. Regularly, the sales giant is torpedoed by criticism, whether for its environmental cost, the working conditions of its employees or its tax strategy.
But if the French citizen can enjoy criticizing Amazon, the consumer loves the site. Weighing 20% of French e-commerce – admittedly a lower score than in many countries – Amazon finds itself in a good position in the annual ranking of the favorite brand of the French*. It is in second position in the Distribution category, and concludes the podium of three other items: Utility, Proximity and Innovation.
Results that delight Amazon. “For more than two decades, we have forged a strong relationship with tens of millions of consumers in France, who trust us and appreciate the contribution of Amazon to their daily lives. We do our best every day to earn and maintain the trust of our customers, while contributing to French society, says one of the brand’s spokespersons. There is no greater reward than seeing our customers satisfied and recognizing the work accomplished on a daily basis by our teams at their service. »
Globalization but not globalization
This dichotomy between harsh criticism and sincere appreciation can be summed up in a very French paradox, for Pierre-Louis Desprez, managing director of Kaos, a firm specializing in innovation and brands: “We don’t want globalization but we are not against it. globalization. The difference is subtle but significant: globalization is having the rest of the world at your fingertips, more or less the promise of Amazon, allowing you to quickly deliver anything from the other end of the planet. Globalization is a uniform world, with the same “identical monsters everywhere: McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, etc. », develops the expert. Basically, we don’t want to eat the same hamburger as 7 billion other humans, on the other hand, we are downright ready to be able to taste sushi even in Perpignan.
As you will have understood, Amazon represents a bit of both, hence this love-rejection relationship. And to understand what makes the brand lean on the right side, you have to go back to the 18th century and to good old Adam Smith, star economist of his time. “For him, what makes the economy work is the law of interest,” recalls Pierre-Louis Desprez, dusting off our old macro-economics courses. No feelings, just benefits.
interest and usefulness
And the benefit – or interest, to use Adam Smith’s idea – of Amazon for the consumer is simple: “It’s ultra-efficient”, pleads Pierre-Louis Desprez. “The Amazon deliverer delivers and delivers well, and we have all experienced the dysfunctions and the galleys of French deliveries to appreciate Amazon’s efficiency. We may not like them, but we cannot say that they are not effective. This is Smith’s lesson: the useful need not be sympathetic if it is effective. A bit like the Marseille supporter who ends up appreciating Kylian Mbappé in the France team by dint of seeing him plant goal on goal for the fatherland.
“It is the third brand deemed the most useful by the French, abounds a representative of the favorite brand of the French. As well as the third brand to which the French feel closest, surrounded by four heritage behemoths. “Count Decathlon and Leclerc in front, and Bonne Maman and Lu behind. “To have been able to place in this top 5, and to be the only international brand, is an achievement! »
Containment, boosting Amazon’s image
A feat made possible by two events. First, the health crisis. Confinements, closed shops, fear of the outside have boosted online commerce and its importance. “There is a clear trend from 2020 and the start of the coronavirus. Since then, Amazon has continued to grow in the hearts of the French, on all existing items. Even in empathy, they gained two points more in 2023 compared to 2022,” explains the French favorite brand.
Second major event, historical inflation since 2022. The purchasing power crisis has led the consumer to a single obsession, price. “In 2023, for the first time, Amazon joined the top 20 brands deemed the most accessible by the French”, specifies the favorite brand of the French. Same analysis on the side of Pierre-Louis Desprez: “With inflation, values take a back seat to the pragmatism of the wallet. »
The purse and the heart
Another OpinionWay** study in September 2022 had already named Amazon as the non-food retailer best able to preserve their purchasing power. The brand recalls that it continues to offer events on this theme, such as the Flash Spring Sales between March 27 and 29. “Our ambition has not changed since day one: to offer low prices, a wide choice of products, and an excellent shopping experience”, continues the spokesperson for the American brand.
And as for the heart, Amazon manages to feint, illustrates our marketing pro: “What some French people hate is the giant company and Jeff Bezos, very divisive. But what they see when they receive a package is a delivery person they have empathy for, and the object he had requested. Granted, Amazon is efficient enough not to need to touch hearts. But, to resonate with the empathy of the consumer who opens the door, it never hurts.
” 20 minutes » is here France’s favorite news brand.
* Survey conducted online on 1,300 brands from February 2 to 13, 2023 by the OpinionWay research institute for the French favorite brand award with a representative sample of 4,900 French respondents aged 18 and over.
Respondents were presented with a list of brands with their logo and they answered 2 questions:
– Which of these brands do you like? (1 answer among 4 possible: I like/I don’t like/Neither one nor the other/I don’t know).
– How would you qualify these brands? (1 to 7 answers among: is a useful brand, committed, trustworthy, close to me, accessible, quality, innovative, none of these qualifiers)
** OpinionWay survey for Bonial conducted with a panel of 1,010 French people, representative of the French population aged 18 and over. The sample was drawn up according to the quota method, with regard to the criteria of sex, age, socio-professional category, category of agglomeration and region of residence. The interviews were carried out from August 17 to 18, 2022. The sample was interviewed by self-administered online questionnaire on the CAWI (Computer Assisted Web Interview) system. OpinionWay carried out this survey by applying the procedures and rules of the ISO 20252 standard. The results of this survey must be read taking into account the margins of uncertainty: 1.4 to 3.1 points at most for a sample of 1,000 respondents .