The National Association of Distance Trading has confirmed that during the pandemic, the number of new customers in the Russian e-commerce market reached 10 million. It is estimated that about 60 million Russians now use the services of the online sales market.
According to Boris Ovchinnikov, Director of Research at Data Insight, the number of marketplaces customers has increased by about 10 million people.
It is thought that with the removal of restrictions, a number of the new online customers will go back to traditional trading, a large number of the customers will continue to trade online due to newfound convenience, choice, and the impact that the pandemic has had on lifestyle and other health considerations.
Artem Sokolov, the President of the Association of Internet Commerce Companies (AKIT), believes that the influx of new customers to the market, during the pandemic on average in each online store was 200% year-on-year.
For example, according to Wildberries, the number of new customers in April and May doubled, compared with the previous year. Moreover, the pandemic has contributed to the growth of overall internet usage, even in smaller, more traditional towns and cities.
With the removal of restrictions, slight fluctuations in online orders have been noted, but AKIT has confirmed that they are insignificant. For example, it was noted that in June, in certain groups of goods, the demand returned to stable indicators. The pandemic has formed new patterns of behavior in people, and it is thought that now most buyers will remain in the field of online commerce.
According to the head of the analytical department of AMarkets, Artem Deyev, the pandemic gave impetus to the rapid development of the e-commerce market, which will continue to grow dynamically. Since spring alone, the turnover and revenue of Russian marketplaces have grown from 300% to 700%.
The market attracted the ranks of its customers, even those who are far from online shopping, who appreciated its capabilities and will use it in the future.
