The business-to-customer (B2C) e-commerce sales in Russia are expected to reach €30 billion by 2018, according to a report by Hamburg-based business intelligence organization yStats.com.
In comparison to other nations, Russia is among the world leaders in B2C e-commerce growth. In year-on-year sales increase, Russia ranked fifth worldwide last year and is forecast to surpass South Korea to become the ninth largest B2C e-commerce market worldwide in terms of sales this year. It is first among the Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRIC) countries in spending per shopper and Internet penetration. In Europe, Russia’s B2C e-commerce market was the fourth largest by sales in 2013.
The practice of shopping through a mobile device is increasing rapidly, as mobile Internet penetration increased in 2013. Cross-border shopping is also a trend, as around 10 percent of online shoppers buy directly from merchants in Europe and the rest of the world.
The fashion segment was the leading category by share of online shoppers making purchases in 2013. The top five online shops, in terms of revenues last year in Russia were, fashion retailers Wildberries, mass merchant Ozon, and coupons dealer, and retailer Biglion. Of the foreign players, the leading in terms of unique visitors from Russia were Aliexpress.com, eBay.com, and Amazon.com.
The e-commerce sector in Russia has been a target for investment. In 2011-2013 the main beneficiaries of large investment sums were fashion online stores, such as Lamoda, KupiVIP, and Sapato. This year, online retailers of goods for children have been targeted, as this segment has untapped growth potential. The deals involved online stores for children goods Mamagazin, Esky, and Babadu.
