As the publication notes, although Yandex's data is not absolute truth, since it is not the only major Russian Internet portal, this report is still considered representative due to the large audience coverage. According to Alexander Shatikov, an analyst at AC&M, Yandex.Market is the largest information and reference system of this kind in Russia, so conclusions based on this data can be drawn.
So, according to the company, the growth of interest in online trade in Russia turned out to be higher than in Western Europe, where it was only about 25%. Yandex does not provide estimates of the volume of the online trade market in monetary terms in its report, but according to approximate calculations by analysts at Finam Investment Company, its total volume is about $6.8-7 billion.
Analysts are confident in the prospects of this direction. Online trade is profitable due to reduced costs, for example, on rent of retail space and salaries of salespeople, believes Vladislav Kochetkov, an analyst at Finam Investment Company. According to him, the profitability of online trade ranges from 15 to 40%. Alexander Shatikov from AC&M agrees with him. According to him, despite the lack of super-profits, large retailers are now closely watching this market. Moreover, experts are confident that the market in Russia is far from saturation.
According to experts, in the next few years the growth rate of online trade will not decrease. The level of Internet penetration is constantly growing, which, if state programs are implemented, could reach 50% by 2012.
Also, the increase in this segment is influenced by the overall growth of the population's well-being, experts note. Moreover, soon a significant part of the young Internet audience will become more solvent and join the army of online store buyers, Alexander Shatikov is confident. Also, according to experts, we must not forget that this service is still poorly represented in the regions. Thus, according to Yandex's report, 61% of clicks to online store sites were made by Muscovites. Experts agree that now the main focus of large retailers will be on cities with a population of over one million.
Most willingly, Russians bought computers, household appliances, photo products, and electronics via the Internet. The most demanded goods purchased through online stores are innovative products: portable DVD players, LCD TVs, iPods, and mobile phones. Sales in the household goods segment grew the most (by 30%).
Overall, the number of Russian online stores increased by about 47% over the year. The most popular resources are those that offer various equipment – in this segment growth was 77%. The number of stores selling building materials (by 68%), gifts and services for flower and bouquet delivery in Moscow (by 62%) also increased. The number of book and sports stores online is growing – by 52% and 51%, respectively.
But the fact that grocery stores and clothing stores are not as popular among online stores, according to analysts, is easily explained. The development of online food sales requires a very efficient delivery system and high warehouse costs, especially for working with perishable products. According to Kochetkov, selling clothes without personal contact with the buyer is very risky due to the high probability of returning the item after trying it on.
The expert sees the most promising areas of online trade as book sales and sales of household appliances. However, according to Yandex's report, online clothing stores are gaining popularity, although they are still far from the leaders.