On-line commerce in France is moving ahead slowly, reports Liberation. Most commercial Web sites such as music, video and book specialist FNAC, champagne maker Veuve Clicquot, and sporting goods maker Decathalon, do not provide facilities for users to execute orders on-line. Rather they send them back to the reliable Minitel or to the traditional method, to their stores, to make their purchases. A notable exception is Infonie, the on-line service from Lyon-based Infogrames SA, which uses a proprietary modem connection that provides the necessary security. Infonie enables its users to order foie gras, cosmetics and do-it-yourself household products, arrange home delivery of frozen foods or flowers, as well as order Infogrames’ own CD-ROM games. On the Web, mail-order clothing companies La Redoute and 3 Suisses offer the possibility of ordering a limited number of items, but payments are made either cash-on-delivery or by mail, telephone or the Minitel again.
