Consumers' behaviour & preferences
Reading habit
According the information available on Statista (footnote 23), 21% of the French population considers itself as a “fervent” readers, 37% as an “average” reader while 15% do not read at all as can be seen here below.
Gender
Like to other countries, reading habits varies with age in France. It is clear from the data available in the figure 10 that older people tend to read more books than young people.
Age
Also women are heavier readers than men in France, it is relevant to notice that the difference between men and women is less important than in other countries (UK, Germany).
Social category
According to a study conducted by the French Ministry of Culture, reading is more common amongst the upper class as illustrated in the figure here below.
The French market is dominated by large retailers such as FNAC and Virgin. One can notice on the figure here below (Figure 2) that Internet sales accounted for 19,5% of the total value of books distribution in 2015. In 2011, online sales accounted for only 10% of the total value (Simon & de Pratto, 2012).
Distribution channels
Also, it seems important to note that this phenomenon seems to be increasing with young people reading less and less book than before, even though this tendency can be seen in the entire population.
