Russian business in the field of e-commerce is growing at a record pace – Kommersant

According to the results of the second quarter of 2023, the turnover of Russian small and medium-sized businesses in the field of online commerce increased by 63%, according to experts from the Calltouch platform, Tochka Bank and the hh.ru service. Based on the analysis, the experts came to the conclusion that the business of Russian companies in the field of Internet commerce is recovering at a record pace.

The study notes that the growth in the turnover of SMEs in the field of online commerce is associated with the rapid development of marketplaces and their popularity among the population. Analysts also note a change in the portrait of the seller. Two years ago, marketplaces were mainly traded by resellers offering products of domestic or foreign brands. However, at present, distributors and manufacturers are increasingly reaching out to them, for whom trading platforms facilitate logistics.

Experts point out that the increase in online commerce and the gradual decline in offline sales is a steady trend in recent years. According to forecasts, by the end of 2023, the volume of online sales will reach 7.4 trillion rubles.

In the field of online commerce, the Health Index of Russian business in the second quarter amounted to 48 points (+6%) compared to the same period in 2022). The index of microenterprises amounted to 53 points (+12%), small businesses – 51 points (+2%). For medium-sized companies, the index fell to 39 points (-11%).

From the study of Calltouch, Tochka and hh.ru, it also follows that the number of visitors to online stores and marketplaces in relation to the pre-pandemic 2019 shows a steady increase. In 2020, their increase was due to the inaccessibility of offline stores. However, according to analysts, growth continues even after the lifting of restrictions.

In June of this year, the indicator almost approached the peak indicators of the same period in 2020. Compared to the pre-pandemic year of 2019, the demand for goods from online stores increased by 40%.

By counting Association of e-commerce companies (AKIT; the association includes Wildberries, Ozon, DNS, etc.) in Russia in 2022, the volume of e-commerce amounted to 4.98 trillion rubles. Compared to 2021, the indicator increased by 30%. The share of sales through domestic trading platforms was 96.4%, while the share of cross-border trade was fixed at 3.6% against 13% at the beginning of 2022.

Milena Kostereva