The digital marketplace in Russia has witnessed a remarkable expansion in 2023, with the volume of online trading escalating by 28% to reach an impressive 6.36 trillion rubles.
This significant growth underscores the increasing reliance on and preference for online shopping among Russian consumers, alongside the robustness of the country’s digital economy.
The Association of Internet Trading Companies (AKIT) provided these insights, highlighting a nuanced landscape where the vast majority of online sales, precisely 96.9% or 6.2 trillion rubles, originated from Russian online trading entities.
Meanwhile, the cross-border market contributed 3.1% or 197 billion rubles to the overall volume, pointing to a vibrant internal market that overwhelmingly dominates online trading activities in the country.
The consumer preference spectrum in Russia is diverse, with digital and household appliances leading the charge, accounting for 18% of total online purchases.
Following closely are furniture and household items at 15.4%, clothing and footwear at 14.6%, food products at 11%, and beauty and health items capturing 8.1% of the market share. This variety reflects the broadening scope of online shopping, extending well beyond traditional categories to encompass a wide range of consumer needs and interests.
The digital goods segment, inclusive of e-books, films, subscriptions to online cinemas, and other digital products, also saw considerable spending, with Russians shelling out 281 billion rubles in 2023.
The average transaction in this category was modest at 363 rubles, indicating a high volume of smaller-ticket purchases.
Geographically, online sales were concentrated, with 52% of all transactions occurring in the top 10 regions of the country. Moscow led with 17.7%, followed by the Moscow region (9.2%), St. Petersburg (6.1%), and other key regions, showcasing the urban-centric nature of online shopping in Russia.
This surge in online trading volume is paralleled by the growth of the Runet advertising market, which reached 563 billion rubles in 2023.
Together, these figures paint a picture of a thriving digital commerce ecosystem in Russia, driven by technological advancements, changing consumer behaviors, and the increasing accessibility of online platforms for both buyers and sellers.
As the landscape of online trading in Russia continues to evolve, these trends offer valuable insights into the future directions of e-commerce in the country, highlighting areas of potential growth and the sectors that are capturing the imagination and wallets of Russian consumers.
