Since the opening of its first French store in 2012 in Courrières in Pas-de-Calais, the success of Action stores in France has not been denied. So much so that the sign is today the favorite of the French.
Every time a new Action store opens, it’s almost the same scenario: queues, traffic jams in the parking lot and a rush for products. End of November 2019, the opening of an Action in Saint-Jean-de-Védas created a huge traffic jam, preventing access to the commercial area, unsuitable to deal with such a flow of vehicles.
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With its fifty stores in Occitania, the success of Action no longer needs to be proven, so much so that the brand is today the favorite of the French according to the EY Parthenon surveyovertaking Decathlon and Leroy Merlin, up to now unbeatable.
This success, Laura Carbone, communication director of Action France whom we interviewed, justifies it above all by the fact that it is “from a local brand”. “Today, Action has become the benchmark for non-food discount for this reason,” she explains. However, other reasons explain the rise of these stores.
Find everything at low prices
If Action sees its popularity rating explode, 57% of Action customers declaring themselves “fans of the brand” according to EY Parthenon, it is partly thanks to a major argument: the costsmuch lower than in any large area.
A boost all the more necessary in these times of inflation. EY Parthenon confirms this: “The price image is of course asserting itself as an essential fight in this hyper-inflationary period: more than 80% of respondents acknowledge modifying their behavior.” Figures that correspond to customer habits.
Regular customer of the Action Mosson store located Boulevard de l’Agathois in Montpellier, Christine boasts the sign: “Everything is advantageous : it’s exactly the same products that I will find in supermarkets but without the brands.”
When she presents her shopping basket to us, she proudly pulls out a bottle of eau de toilette, satisfied with this bargain. “The perfume I just bought, I paid 3.95 euros for it whereas if I went to the supermarket, I wouldn’t find anything below 10 euros, and even more now with the prices going up.”, she explains.
These reduced prices are an integral part of the brand’s strategy. The communication director of Action France confirms: “Simplicity is the strength of the concept which allows Action to position itself as the partner for the daily purchases of all French people. The brand thus becomes an important ally in safeguarding their purchasing power.
Pleasure “without breaking the bank”
For others, like Sabrinaa single mother frequenting the same store as Christelle, “it’s a great opportunity” to please “without breaking the bank.”
So, when she wants to surprise her three children, Action is the perfect place: “I have three children and I know that if I want to buy them a small toy, a stuffed animal or a coloring book, I go to Action And they are just as happy as if I had been in a toy store.“
Front of the Action Pérols store.
Very careful about her expenses, Sabrina admits having recently done her accounts and having obtained a better result than she had imagined: by referring to Action for this type of purchase, the young woman affirms having saved “no less than a hundred euros” the previous month, despite the birthdays of two of her children.
Even before the inflationary period, going to Action was already seen as a way to do good business. According to data published by BFM in December 2019the prices would be there 20 to 30% cheaper than in other large areas.
Only the price?
Summarizing Action’s success by its attractive prices would be a bad shortcut. Certainly, the financial argument attracts but other elements retain. Starting with a specificity: the novelty.
In a traditional supermarket, apart from a few products that change from time to time, customers are almost certain to always find the same thing. Not at Action! At the entrance to each store are shelves displaying an orange sign with the inscription “Week of Action” with articles that change not every month, but every week.
The items on these shelves change weekly.
For customers, this regular change turns out to be a good opportunity to visit Action frequently. Anais admits to going “very often” to the Pérols store in search of these new products.
When we ask her to present her purchases at the exit, she immediately takes a box of acrylic paints from her bag. “There, for example, I took these tubes of paint for my daughter because I know she has wanted some like these for a long time. I had already been around the store last week and I had not found any.”
Combined with the advantageous prices, these constant innovations encourage customers to buy products that they do not always need.
When I go to Action I have to buy at least 2-3 little things ud83dude02
— Maë (@Maamouille) May 9, 2017
Adamcustomer of the Action store in Saint-Jean-de-Védas, recognizes this: “I go to Action like I would go to any store except there, even when I come back thinking that I’m just going to have a look, I leave with two or three things even when it’s not planned. There, I go there to buy sports shorts but I know very well that I will come out with a top, socks or dumbbells when I have everything I need at home.
“It’s a trap: it’s impossible not to buy”he adds, laughing. An observation that consumers regularly make and which they enjoy on their social networks.
An undeniable practical aspect
Often considered a store reserved for small budgets, Action is nonetheless a practical solution for buyers who want to save money on certain expenditure items.
Pour Geoffrey, this store is a strategic point in its weekly shopping. He details: “I can’t do all my shopping at Action because in terms of food, apart from a few products for an aperitif or a snack, you can’t find much, but it’s super useful for everything that has to do with hygiene products or ‘interview.”
Statements that correspond to the figures collected by EY Parthenon. According to firm data, 80% of everyday object buyers go to Action.
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“So I do these races here and I calculated last month, I earned around 50 euros by not buying this in the supermarket.”, he says. Client at Action Pérols, the young man also specifies that the location of the store is ideal“right next to Auchan” to be able to do all your shopping “in one go.”
Clichés quickly erased
If Action is a victim of its own success, the brand is still subject to several received ideas : no marks, poor quality products, unpleasant interior…
By going there, however, some go from reluctant to customers. This is the case of Gabriel, who somehow admits having had “a few a priori on Action” a few more weeks ago. Encouraged by his friends who kept telling him that “it was worth it”, the 32-year-old computer engineer took the plunge at the beginning of April.
Race results: Gabriel couldn’t be more satisfied. “I was convinced to find only unknown products when in reality, they also sell brands. I also thought I was going to find nothing interesting when I robbed the store last week“, he says with a smile, and no doubt delighted to have listened to his relatives.
In addition, the brand wishes in the long term “shake up the image of discount”. Laura Carbone details the group’s future objectives: “Novelty is oriented towards the assortment by offering a greater variety of eco-responsible products at the fairest prices”. “We want to bet on a new approach: be a discounter that offers quality and labeled products while maintaining a price accessible to all.”
A new trend: hauling
Today, shopping at Action is no longer pejorative, so a new trend has emerged: the hauls.
What is hauling?
A haul is a video usually showcasing the fruits of a shopping session. These videos are generally uploaded to TikTok and Youtube by content creators who want to share their favorites with their communities.
The creator makes several purchases and then starts their video giving their impressions of their purchases. Hauls can also have a tutorial dimension, especially when they explain how to use a particular product.
Facing the camera, TikTokeurs and YouTubeurs take out the Action items contained in their bags one by one and present them after having used them or not in a relaxed tone, a little as if they were talking about shopping with their friends.
@aigriespam Haul action #devinelapersonne #prt #haul #action ♬ Aesthetic – DJ Aurier
Far from involving creators of little-known or even anonymous content, haul Actions are taken up by personalities in the field, such as Maya BFbeauty and fashion designer with more than 838,000 subscribers on YouTube, who even devoted a budget of 100 euros to it.