The past few months have seen the closure of a number of iconic fashion and home furnishings chains, a sign of the changing purchasing habits of the French, who, impacted by rising living standards, are turning to other brands or simply buying less. In this uncertain economic climate, coupled with fierce competition both in-store and online, consumers are becoming increasingly uncompromising about their expectations, particularly in terms of the availability of the products they are looking for .

Curious to decipher this trend, autone, the startup that disrupts and reinvents inventory optimization, has conducted a study with OpinionWay highlighting the impact of product unavailability on the French in numerous non-food categories (fashion, home, electronics, luxury, jewelry & accessories, beauty, toys...).

What are the reflexes of new consumers when faced with a break ? Which universes are the most sensitive? Which products do they find hard to accept being out of stock, and which circumstances make them more tolerant of such shortages? What impact do unavailabilities have on brand image, customer loyalty and even store closures?

Unavailability of products difficult for French consumers to accept

• The French buy more frequently in-store than online, regardless of product type. The most frequently purchased products (in-store and online) are in the fashion and beauty sectors, followed by books and office supplies.
• Product unavailability is the 2nd biggest irritant when buying non-food products, just after lack of price and far ahead of all other items.

Unavailability has consequences for retailers

• The French are prepared to wait 19 days for an unavailable luxury product. That's a week longer than for a fashion, beauty or book product (12 days).

• For 7 out of 10 French people, the more frequent the unavailability of non-food products, the less loyal they are to the store.

An inflationary context weighing on purchasing behavior

• For at least one product category, 6 out of 10 French people are buying less than before, and 56% are looking for lower prices.

• The French have changed their purchasing habits the most as a result of inflation in fashion (63%), home furnishings (60%) and interior products (60%).