REPORT Current Russian e-commerce trends show a shift towards a standard European trend

The Russian e-commerce market continues to grow rapidly and shows a transition towards a standard European market. The market shows a growing share of mobile use, a migration from cash-on-delivery to online pre-payments, a (slow) change towards a more concentrated market and an increase in the use of click & collect and Parcel shops when it comes to delivery of goods purchased online.

The 2017 forecast shows that 800 million Russians will use smartphones, which continues to grow in the following years, expected to reach 910 million mobile users by the year 2020.

Approximately 50% of Russians shopped online in 2016. However, most Russians seem to be ‘occasionally online buyers’, as only 21% of daily online users state they frequently buy goods online.

The number of cross border purchases is also increasing, and 52% of cross border spending distribution is in China. The B2C e-commerce growth rate increased by 20% in 2016.

In 2016, 64% of Russian e-shoppers made at least one unplanned purchase; the biggest trigger for Russian e-shoppers to purchase spontaneously are discounts and deals.

The Russian E-commerce Country Report 2017 (PDF file) shows e-commerce trends, facts and figures, offers insights into the Russian e-commerce market and offers expert recommendations.