Cdiscount
| Type of business | Limited company |
|---|---|
Type of site | E-commerce |
| Founded | 1998 |
| Headquarters | Bordeaux, France |
| Owner | Cnova |
| Key people | Emmanuel Grenier - CEO |
| Industry | Internet, online retailing |
| Products | Cultural, high-tech, information technology, housewares, apparel and accessories, personal care and beauty, food, children, services |
| Revenue | 1.6 billion (2013) |
| Employees | 1.300 |
| Website |
cdiscount |
Cdiscount is a French e-commerce website with a broad offer: a wide range of products including, among others, cultural goods, high-tech, IT, household appliances, personal appliances and food.
Historically Cdiscount has positioned itself as a discount online retailer. It is currently the most important French e-commerce website in terms of turnover with a growth superior to the market’s average in 2013.[1]
Cdiscount now operates on four continents : South America, Europe, Africa and Asia.
Cdiscount is the e-commerce leader in France with a turnover of 1.6 billion euros in 2013.[2]
History
Founded in December 1998 by three brothers, Hervé, Christophe and Nicolas Charle, Cdiscount has been a subsidiary of Casino Group since February 2000.[3] In September 2008 Casino Group increased both its direct and indirect participation to 79,6% of the capital and adopted a new structure with a board constituted of Casino founders and representatives.
In January 2011, Casino Group bought the Charle brothers’ shares and now possess 99,6% of the capital.
In June 2014 Casino Group created Cnova, a company regrouping all of Casino’s e-commerce activity. Cnova is a major global player and includes Cdiscount.com websites in France, Colombia, Ecuador, Thailand, Vietnam, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Cameroon and Belgium, and Nova Pontocom's websites in Brazil.[4][5][6]
In October 2014, Cdiscount continues its internationalization with the opening of cdiscount.com.br in Brazil, with the support of Cnova Brasil.[7]
Operations
Cdiscount.com is an online retailer for goods and services. Its range is structured around 40 stores organised in categories: cultural goods, high-tech, IT, household appliances, and personal appliances (games, toys…). In order to grow further Cdiscount has incorporated high-potential goods and services under their banner (financing, insurance, travel, wine, mobile phone subscription…).[8]
In 2006 Cdiscount opened a pilot physical store in Le Bouscat near Bordeaux (France) that utilises sales data from the websites to select only the best-selling products. This store also acted as a delivery point for small packages.
A second store opened up in 2011 in Paris’s 7th district, Rue du Bac.[9] This store displays the bestsellers from the website in every category, totalling over 2000 products across high-tech, IT, appliances, toys, DVDs, video games, and wines and spirits.
The company being based in Bordeaux (region of Gironde), products are stocked in the area in the logistics site of Cestas Pot au Pin. Overnight deliveries are available since September 2011.
A few numbers
- 1.300 employees
- 19 orders every 10 seconds
- 2013 turnover : 1,6 billion €
- Up to 125.000 packages sent each day
- 200.000 m² of warehouse space
- 900.000 unique visitors per day on average [10]
Distribution strategy
Since the involvement of Casino Group with Cdiscount the distribution strategy has evolved and now incorporates the Casino Group stores. New delivery points dedicated to Cdiscount are being built in the Casino stores.
- June 2010: Integration in “Petit Casino” stores for packages that weigh less than 30 kg
- Late 2010: Every store integrated
- 2011 1st semester: all of the mini supermarkets retail network integrated
- October 2011: Cdiscount opens a store in Paris (Rue du Bac, 7th District)
Commercial strategy
Cdiscount, in partnership with Banque Casino, offers a MasterCard credit card that gives Cdiscount customers benefits on the website. In September 2011 Cdiscount launched a marketplace open to vendors. The aim is to develop the product range and grow additional revenues on a commission-based business model.[11]
In 2014, Cdiscount introduced an innovative service called "immediate availability". Through its own marketplace called C le Marché, merchants are now able to sell items to customers located near them with immediate availability.[12]
Commercial studies
In 2011 Cdiscount wins the LSA Innovation Trophy in the e-commerce category thanks to its delivery points distribution system.[13] The French institute of public opinion published a study for Epsilon on web users and e-commerce. Cdiscount was ranked first for quality of service in the “high-tech and home appliances sector” in 2009.[14]
References
- ↑ Cdiscount, premier e-commerçant de France, Journal du Net, june 11, 2013
- ↑ Casino lance Cdiscount à l'international, Linéaires, january 15, 2014
- ↑ Cdiscount profile on Groupe Casino website
- ↑ Casino Files to Float e-Commerce Unit Cnova in New York, WallStreetJournal, June 5, 2014
- ↑ Casino Climbs Near 13-Year-High on Plan for Online Assets, Bloomberg, May 7, 2014
- ↑ Cnova launches Cdiscount in Cameroon: cdiscount.cm, Groupe Casino
- ↑ Cnova launches Cdiscount in Brazil: cdiscount.com.br, Groupe Casino, October 23, 2014
- ↑ Cdiscount Sa - private company, Bloomberg
- ↑ Cdiscount ouvre sa première boutique à Paris, Challenges, october 17, 2011
- ↑ Key figure Cdiscount, Cdiscount
- ↑ "La marketplace permettra de doubler l'offre de Cdiscount avant la fin 2011", Journal du Net, September 7, 2011
- ↑ Casino: Cdiscount propose la disponibilité immédiate, BFM Business, September 12, 2014
- ↑ Cdiscount remporte un Trophée de l’innovation LSA 2011, ITR News, December 9, 2011
- ↑ Cdiscount n°1 pour la qualité de ses services selon un sondage IFOP, la Fourmilière, November 11, 2009