Discover the marketplaces best practices behind Conforama’s success and how Shippingbo can boost your e-commerce business. Watch our webinar for valuable insights and winning strategies on marketplaces.
History of Conforama
Conforama, an iconic name in the world of home furnishings, has firmly established itself as a major player in the sector in France and beyond. With an impressive network of 173 stores, 162 of which are branches operating in France, Conforama has built up a unique proximity with its customers. This proximity is all the more remarkable given that 1 in 3 households in France has already made a purchase at Conforama, testifying to the trust and loyalty that the brand has built up among consumers.
The year 2023 marks a significant turning point in Conforama’s digital history, with almost 150 million visits recorded to its website. This performance not only illustrates Conforama’s successful transition to digital, but also underlines the company’s commitment to responding to its customers’ new consumer habits. As part of this growth dynamic, Conforama has embraced market trends by integrating an effective marketplace strategy. In fact, more than 4 out of 10 online sales now involve products offered by partner merchants on the Conforama marketplace. This figure underlines the growing importance of this ecosystem for the brand, offering a diverse and rich offering that meets the varied needs of consumers.
Expertise at the service of merchants
Conforama has established itself as a mature and essential platform in the e-commerce world, thanks to its early launch in 2016. Its pioneering position has enabled it to develop an in-depth understanding of merchants’ needs and create an ecosystem conducive to their growth and success.
Since its creation, Conforama has embraced an ambitious vision, positioning itself as one of the leading marketplace platforms on the market. This maturity is reflected in a sophisticated web acquisition strategy, including the marketplace as a central growth lever. Today, Conforama boasts over 700 active merchants, constantly enriching the platform with over 1.5 million published product pages. This abundance and diversity of offers reflects the dynamism and vitality of the Conforama marketplace.
Conforama not only offers a simple sales platform, it is also actively committed to promoting its merchants’ products through marketing operations aligned with the brand’s high points. Whether through themed operations, specific sales campaigns or marketing highlights, Conforama ensures that its merchants benefit from optimum visibility. This commitment is also reflected in a high level of media investment across all media, including TV, digital, radio, press and billboards, guaranteeing a 360° presence in the market.
One of Conforama’s major strengths lies in its ability to offer each merchant personalized support. From their very first steps on the platform, merchants are looked after by dedicated Business Developers, guaranteeing a successful and rapid launch of their store. This proximity continues with the support of Account Managers, experts in their respective categories, who work closely with strategic and historical accounts to unlock the most effective growth levers.
Finally, quality support plays a crucial role in ensuring a high quality of service. These teams ensure that merchants make optimal use of the platform and prevent any deviations, thus guaranteeing a flawless experience for merchants and customers alike.
History of 3P recruitment strategy
In the evolution of its recruitment strategy, Conforama has made a significant transition from targeted recruitment to mass recruitment, marking a decisive step in its approach to growth and expansion on marketplaces. This approach, known by the acronym 3P(Partnership, Performance, Sustainability) has laid the foundations for a strategy that is both ambitious and structured.
Recruitment productivity rose significantly by +30%, a key indicator of the effectiveness of the 3P strategy. This increase in productivity translated into a greater capacity to integrate and activate a larger number of merchants in less time, thus optimizing resources dedicated to recruitment.
One of the key objectives of the 3P strategy was to reduce time-to-first-sale for new merchants. By reducing these times by -30%, Conforama has not only improved the merchant experience, but also accelerated the return on investment for merchants, encouraging them to invest more in their success on the platform.
The impact of the strategy on sales generated by new sellers in their first year has been remarkable, with a significant increase. This reflects not only the effectiveness of the recruitment and integration process, but also the quality of the support provided by Conforama to maximize the sales and visibility of new merchants.
Finally, one of the most impressive results of the 3P strategy was the +90% increase in market share in the first few months for new merchants. This performance illustrates Conforama’s ability to offer an environment conducive to rapid success, enabling newcomers to establish themselves firmly in the market and start generating significant sales right from the start of their adventure.
How did Conforama double the performance of its new merchants in 2023?
The year 2023 marked a turning point for Conforama and its merchants. With a strategic approach and hard work, Conforama succeeded in doubling the performance of its new sellers, revealing the effectiveness of its multi-stage methodology.
Conforama began by clearly redefining its identity and core target market. Recognizing and affirming that the essence of Conforama lay in home furnishings and appliances, the marketplace made the strategic choice to stop recruiting in categories far removed from its DNA, such as smartphone accessories. This decision has enabled the company to focus exclusively on what works, optimizing performance by building on its strengths.
With nearly 150 million visitors expected by 2023, Conforama has meticulously analyzed the expectations and needs of its customers. This has involved granularity in understanding traffic, knowing precisely what consumers are looking for, such as a three- or four-seater corner sofa in grey. This crucial step guided Conforama in its choice of merchants, ensuring that they could respond precisely and efficiently to customer requests.
The focus on merchant qualification has been strengthened, enabling closer and more productive collaboration. Conforama has invested time in identifying and training merchants who share its vision and values, ensuring fast and efficient marketing of the products customers want. This approach not only simplified the shopping experience for the consumer, but also achieved significant sales results for the merchants.
Finally, Conforama has implemented an advanced automation strategy, identifying key next steps for each merchant and facilitating hyper-efficient communications. By offering tailored support, including connections with strategic partners such as Shippingbo, Conforama has optimized the performance of its merchants, enabling them to focus on growth and continuous improvement.
Which KPI causes Conforama to block accounts?
On Conforama’s marketplace, seller performance is closely scrutinized, in particular through specific key performance indicators (KPIs). These KPIs are essential for understanding what can cause seller accounts to freeze, directly impacting their ability to sell on the platform.
Here is an overview of the main KPIs responsible for account blockages and how they break down:
- Incident rate: representing one out of every three blockages, this is a crucial KPI that measures the frequency of problems encountered by customers after purchase. It breaks down as follows:
- WISMO (Where Is My Order?) accounts for 50% of incidents, reflecting the importance of clear and effective communication regarding order tracking.
- Defective items account for 30% of incidents, underlining the need for rigorous quality control before dispatch.
- Requests linked to a missing invoice or an item not conforming to the description each account for 10% of incidents, highlighting the importance of precision in order management and product communication.
- Repayment rate: also responsible for one in three blockages, this KPI is closely linked to post-purchase customer satisfaction. It is impacted by :
- Items not received, which account for 41% of refunds, underlining the importance of reliable logistics and efficient shipment tracking.
- Defective items, at 33%, are a further reminder of the importance of product quality.
- 15% of refunds are requested for non-conforming items, and 11% because of the right of withdrawal, highlighting the importance of accurate descriptions and clear return policies.
- Late shipment rate: this KPI illustrates the significant impact of delivery times on salespeople’s performance at Conforama. A late shipment can not only frustrate customers, but also seriously damage a seller’s reputation.
Shippingbo reduces blockages by up to 75%.
Account blockages on marketplaces can occur for a variety of reasons, often linked to logistical challenges or customer satisfaction. This is where Shippingbo comes in, providing concrete solutions to significantly reduce these risks.
One of the main concerns of consumers after placing an order is when they will receive their products. Shippingbo, by integrating features from WISMO, enables merchants to be proactive. Thanks to the automatic sending of post-shipment notifications, consumers are constantly informed of the status of their order, the location of their product, and can even, in certain cases, make an appointment for delivery. This transparency and communication reassures consumers, reducing the likelihood of complaints and, consequently, account blockages.
Another sticking point in the online shopping experience can be managing invoice requests. Shippingbo simplifies this process with a dedicated tool that automates invoicing directly to the end consumer. This efficiency reduces errors, speeds up the sales closing process, and improves overall customer satisfaction.
Human error, such as sending the wrong item (wrong color, size or part number), is a frequent cause of customer dissatisfaction and, by extension, account blockages. Shippingbo tackles this problem at the root. By equipping warehouses with advanced technological solutions, such as the use of PDAs for picking, Shippingbo ensures that the right product is selected and dispatched every time. This precision in order preparation minimizes errors and increases customer satisfaction.
Finally, Shippingbo’s promise of same-day shipping is revolutionary. Imagine an order placed at 2:00 p.m. being able to ship at 2:30 p.m.; this is not only impressive, it’s a game changer. This level of efficiency ensures that customer expectations are not only met, but often exceeded, significantly reducing the risk of blockages due to shipping delays.
What are the benefits of good logistics?
Optimized logistics are crucial for any merchant wishing to excel on marketplaces such as Conforama. ShippingBo, as the technology partner of choice, plays a key role in helping these merchants fine-tune their logistics strategy for better performance. But what exactly do ShippingBo’s logistics solutions deliver?
Pre-sales: the promise to the consumer
First impressions are generally decisive in the purchasing decision. Even before the sale, logistics play a key role in showcasing products. On a product sheet, the promise of delivery (date, price, delivery methods) strongly influences the consumer’s decision. This is where Shippingbo comes in, providing merchants with the tools they need to clearly communicate this information. Indeed, the ability to offer a variety of delivery methods, adapted to the type of product and the needs of each consumer, can increase the attractiveness of an offer.
Post-sales: keeping promises
Once a promise has been made, it must be kept. Herein lies the vital importance of impeccable logistics, as measured by KPIs and service quality. The ability to meet these commitments translates directly into customer satisfaction, which in turn is reflected in positive reviews and the merchant’s reputation. Shippingbo plays an essential role in this phase by automating and optimizing order and shipment management, reducing errors and guaranteeing on-time delivery.
Direct impact on acceptance and purchase rates
Controlled logistics promise an improved customer experience, a higher satisfaction rate, and ultimately, better conversion of visits into purchases. Shippingbo offers merchants dedicated tools for flexible and adapted delivery methods. This responds perfectly to the expectations of modern consumers: speed, precision and personalization.
Shippingbo, a SaaS software provider for e-commerce logistics
Shippingbo positions itself as a true pillar for e-tailers, thanks to its innovative and integrated logistics solutions, designed to meet the unique challenges of e-commerce. Here’s how Shippingbo transforms e-commerce logistics through its key functionalities:
- OMS (Order Management System): collects orders from sales channels in near-real time, and updates inventory on other sales channels.
- WMS (Warehouse Management System): optimizes picking sessions by means of appropriate picking systems. This approach not only rationalizes warehouse operations, but also enables merchants to maximize the efficiency of their internal supply chain.
- TMS (Transport Management System): whether based on delivery mode, product type or even price, our transport mapping system selects the carrier offering the best balance between cost and quality of service.
- Logistics network: with over 60 logistics partners to date, we offer unrivalled flexibility, enabling merchants to manage their logistics on an ongoing or temporary basis, according to their needs.
- Delivery method management: Shippingbo offers a variety of delivery methods, from express delivery to courier and point relais, ensuring a seamless customer experience.
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