Faced with ever more demanding consumers and an economic environment under strain, e-commerce logistics has become one of the strategic pillars of online performance. In 2025, the sector’s French decision-makers have taken the floor in an unprecedented e-commerce 2026 study. What tools do they use? What are their priorities? How are they tackling the challenges ofomnichannel or returns management? This study takes an unfiltered look at the situation. Here’s a sneak preview of its most striking findings.
- Why this survey is essential
- Major trends for 2026
- Why download the 2026 e-commerce logistics study?
What tools, strategies and performance levers will French e-tailers be adopting in 2026? This exclusive study brings you the findings of over 300 industry professionals to help you make informed decisions. Download the full study and get inspired for your next logistics actions.
Why this survey is essential
To fully understand the results of thee-commerce 2026 study, it’s essential to know what it’s all about. Who responded? What types of companies were surveyed? And why has this snapshot come at the right time?
A pivotal year for e-commerce logistics
French e-commerce continues to grow, with sales expected to top €160 billion. But this growth conceals a more complex reality: e-tailers have to juggle increased pressure on their margins, ever-higher customer expectations and a constantly evolving supply chain.
In this context, logistics becomes a strategic factor, far beyond mere operational execution. For some players, it accounts for up to 25% of sales, and can make the difference between loyalty or basket abandonment, profitability or loss.
Logistics control is therefore at the heart of competitiveness: better warehouse management, automated flows and optimized transport costs have become essential levers for sustainable performance in a saturated and demanding market.
What the profile of respondents reveals
The study is based on a solid panel of qualified professionals, representative of the different segments of online commerce in France. Nearly 60% of respondents hold management positions, guaranteeing a strategic vision of the logistics issues addressed. Alongside them, 22% are e-commerce managers, directly involved in the day-to-day management of flows, tools and operational teams.
This dual perspective, both decision-making and operational, gives the survey a valuable depth of analysis. The diversity of the sectors represented also reinforces its scope: home and decoration dominates the panel with 19.8%, followed by beauty/health (14.9%) and fashion/textile (12.5%). This sectoral diversity illustrates the transversal nature of logistics challenges: whatever the product typology, the constraints of automation, order synchronization or carrier management are omnipresent.
A sector under pressure between growth and customer expectations
E-tailers are faced with increasing operational complexity, especially those adopting a hybrid model combining B2B and B2C, a reality for 69.5% of companies surveyed.
In this context, the depth of the product range becomes a major issue. These companies have to manage much more extensive product catalogs, with over 5,000 items on average, compared with around 2,000 for B2C pure players. This disparity weighs heavily on operations, particularly in the warehouse, where stock preparation and updating become more complex as the number of references increases.
This volume also has an impact on online order management: the larger the catalog, the greater the likelihood of stock-outs or picking errors. These companies must therefore equip themselves with robust, interconnected tools to centralize orders, synchronize inventories and guarantee a consistent customer experience, whatever the purchasing channel.
Major trends for 2026
Rather than reveal everything, here’s a sampling of e-commerce logistics practices that should guide decisions in the months ahead. These first trends will give you an idea of the strategic priorities observed among the most advanced e-tailers.
Automation, omnichannel, AI… a marked professionalization
83.1% of companies now sell via several distribution channels (e-commerce sites, marketplaces, social shopping, private sales, etc.). Omnichannel sales have become essential for maximizing product visibility and reaching differentiated customer segments. But this diversification complicates flow management: each channel generates its own orders, logistical constraints and processing rhythms.
To cope with this complexity, e-tailers are equipping themselves with robust technological solutions. Visit OMS, WMS and ERP are essential tools for synchronizing inventories, centralizing orders and efficiently orchestrating logistics operations.
On the other hand, a quarter of companies still use manual order management, whether via Excel spreadsheets or non-integrated processes. This approach generates increased risks of errors, delays and operational overload. This shows that there is still a significant productivity potential for many companies, particularly through automation and centralization of workflows.
Customer experience at the heart of our priorities
Customer communication has become an indispensable standard. More than 50% of e-tailers now now notify their customers at every stage of the delivery process from order preparation to shipping, right through to final delivery. This transparency meets a need that has become essential among consumers: to be informed in real time, without having to call on customer service.
Data from thee-commerce 2026 study shows a clear link between this proactive notification strategy and a reduction in after-sales service requests: the most communicative companies receive significantly fewer post-purchase solicitations. This eases the pressure on support teams, while boosting customer confidence.
Conversely, companies that settle for simple notification of shipment expose themselves to greater dissatisfaction and stress on the customer side, and therefore to a poorer overall experience.
Better-equipped logistics, but still room for improvement
Despite the rise of digital tools, some logistics practices are still lagging behind. 32.6% of warehouses still operate manually, often on paper or using non-connected systems. The result: time-consuming processes, heavy reliance on humans, and more frequent errors.
This manual approach translates directly into lost productivity: the average order-picking time is multiplied by four compared to a warehouse with an automated system. Where a digitalized warehouse prepares an order in 10 minutes, a manual model takes over 40 minutes.
Why download the 2026 e-commerce logistics study?
Rather than deliver all the results here, it’s best to let you discover the key data in context. Here’s what you’ll find. Each piece of data takes on its full meaning when placed in the context of the business realities of the companies surveyed.
Exclusive figures to situate you in the e-commerce landscape
What is the average size of our warehouses? How many carriers work with French e-tailers? Which tools are used most frequently? How often are orders dispatched on D+0 or D+1? What levels of automation have actually been achieved by sector or by type of company?
In thee-commerce 2026 study, you’ll find over 20 pages of detailed benchmarks to help you position yourself accurately. Each piece of data is presented in a segmented way: by company size, business sector, B2B/B2C model, or degree of technological equipment. Whether you’re an ambitious SME or a structured scale-up, this data will provide you with a reliable basis for measuring your gaps, margins for progress and market standards.
Concrete benchmarks to help your logistics evolve
The document proposes concrete ways to improve your online order management, optimize your shipping times, automate your flows or reduce your after-sales service volume. These levers are presented with indicators, case studies and summary observations to help you take action quickly.
The study highlights the most effective tools, common performance thresholds according to company size, and the factors that directly influence logistics productivity. You’ll be able to compare your practices with those of over 300 French e-tailers, and identify realistic optimization opportunities tailored to your level of operational maturity.
A unique benchmark to guide your 2026 investments
If you’re wondering about the right time to invest in an Order Management System or automate your warehouse, this study provides you with reliable benchmarks for prioritizing your next actions. It highlights the activity thresholds at which these tools become profitable, the practices of the best-performing companies, and the mistakes to avoid when deploying them.
Thanks to a segmented reading by type of player, you’ll know exactly where you are in your logistics maturity curve, and what concrete steps you need to take to improve productivity, fluidity and customer satisfaction. This benchmark will serve as your compass, enabling you to invest in a more enlightened and calibrated way.
Download the full study free of charge
Want to discover the logistics practices of France’s most successful e-tailers? This e-commerce 2026 study compiles exclusive data from over 300 industry players to give you a concrete, up-to-date and operational vision of logistics in 2026.
Feedback, benchmarks, performance indicators, tools used, best practices: it’s all here to help you compare, analyze and progress. Whether you’re in the structuring or scaling phase, this document will help you adjust your logistics strategies, anticipate your customers’ expectations and make more confident technological choices.
Logistics has become the silent weapon of the most profitable e-tailers. With Shippingbo, transform your operations into a lever for sustainable growth and keep your customers’ promises, without compromise.
Want to be one of the companies ahead of the game in 2026? Download the study now and inspire your next decisions:
