B2C ecommerce sales expands rapidly in Eastern Europe

One of the findings of the yStats researchers is that annual growth of E-Commerce sales in Eastern Europe outpaced Western Europe by 13 percentage points in 2012. A double digit growth rate above 20% in Eastern Europe is expected for 2013, though this growth rate will decrease by 2017. Total E-Commerce sales for the Eastern region are expected to reach over 50 billion euros by 2016. 

Internet usage and online shopping varies by country in the region   

B2C E-Commerce in Russia grew by over a quarter in 2012, reaching a double digit figure in billions of Euros. Further expansion in the online retail market is expected. Some product categories, such as household goods, cosmetics and auto parts have shown recent growth of over 50%.

The clothing segment, including such players as Lamoda and Kupivip, has attracted large investments from overseas as well as domestic investors. The largest online retailer, mass merchant Ozon, increased its sales by a high double digit figure above 50%. The growth of the Russian B2C E-Commerce market has attracted the attention of foreign players, with Asos launching a local website and Amazon opening a local office in the Spring of 2013.

In the Czech Republic, B2C E-Commerce sales are increasing with the expectation of reaching several billions of Euros in 2013. Already over 40% of Internet users in the country shop online. In Slovenia, this share is even larger, as 50% of Internet users are online shoppers.

B2C E-Commerce in Hungary and Poland has increased its share on the total retail market, reaching several percentage points. In Turkey, E-Commerce sales reached a double digit figure above 10 billion Euros in 2012, after a significant two digit percentage growth rate.

yStats