Business

E-commerce broke record last year; 2021 e-commerce industry is targeting ₺400 billion

With the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak, online shopping grew by 85% in 2020 compared to last year. The E-commerce sector has experienced record growth and the 2021 target of the sector is ₺400 billion.

According to the Electronic Commerce Operators Association (ETID) data, with the impact of the coronavirus epidemic, online shopping expenses grew by 85% in 2020 compared to last year. The 2021 target of the e-commerce sector is ₺400 billion.

ETID announced the e-commerce data for 2020. Accordingly, there have been important developments in the e-commerce sector last year with the epidemic period. People moved their old shopping habits to digital with new types of shopping without leaving their homes.

E-commerce has had a driving force in this process where consumers have acquired new shopping habits. This increase in supply and demand led many brands that had physical sales before to make online sales. For this reason, many brands that have not digitalized before have entered the e-commerce sector. New different business models have been developed and entered the e-commerce market.

“Online market shopping has increased five times”

Emre Ekmekci, Chairman of ETID, whose opinions were given in the statement, said, “With the effect of the pandemic, the sector has grown by 85% in 2020. We expect the e-commerce sector to close the year with a volume of ₺250 billion.”

Stating that as part of the epidemic measures, the shopping behavior of citizens changed and their transition to online shopping and online transactions increased and increased, Ekmekci stated that the leading online shopping category of the year was the supermarket.

Ekmekci continued as follows:

“According to the data of the Ministry of Commerce, online market shopping increased five times during the pandemic period. Fresh and cold chain food shopping became the rising stars of e-commerce. When we look at the age scale, there was a perception that people under 45 years old preferred online shopping. Today, this scale has changed between the ages of 18-70. Average basket amounts were ₺178.8 for card transactions, ₺63.2 for paying in cash, money order, EFT, and other payments, and ₺70.6 for payment at the door. The cities with the highest number of online shopping were ranked as Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Bursa, Antalya, and Konya.”

“The number of SMEs engaged in e-commerce increased from 69 thousand to 100 thousand”

Emre Ekmekci stated that new business models were implemented as a result of the increase in supply and demand.

Underlining that every small or large-scale organization won and overcame the physical restrictions imposed by the epidemic measures by investing in e-commerce and performs sales and services through e-commerce, Ekmekci made the following evaluations:

“Due to the pandemic, 63% of SMEs that made sales both on the physical channel and on the digital channel experienced a decrease in turnover due to the problems experienced in their physical channels. Therefore, if there were no sales in the digital channel, the turnover decrease for about half of these SMEs would be 50% more. The number of SMEs engaged in e-commerce increased from 69 thousand to 100 thousand. A total of 68 thousand 457 businesses in Turkey carry out e-commerce activities. Cargo companies, which started to have difficulties in carrying the intensity of the sector, started to serve with new business models and growing infrastructures. This year we have not experienced the logistics and cargo problems we experienced last year. The sector has progressed more prepared during the discount campaign periods this year. For this reason, complaints on logistics and cargo issues have also decreased. Especially in New Year’s shopping campaigns, orders placed until 16:00 reached the homes with the same day delivery. In the days of curfews, the cargoes worked, and their orders were delivered to consumers in a planned way.”

“Taboos are gone”

Chairman of ETID’s Board of Directors, Ekmekci stated that they expect the growth and investments in the sector to continue in the same way after the epidemic, and during the epidemic period, consumers are especially used to affordable price options and easy shopping in e-commerce.

Stating that manufacturers and the retail industry have started to adapt to the accessibility, low cost, and opportunities of e-commerce, Ekmekci said, “With the increase in e-commerce, there may be concerns that traditional shopping methods will be harmed. However, we have representatives of the sector who successfully carry out systems where traditional and e-commerce work together. While the frequency of online shopping has increased, new payment methods have been provided to consumers. “

Ekmekci stated that a world has emerged in which even order mechanisms have been digitalized and that a company or a retailer cannot be considered today without an online strategy.

Stating that the number of organizations engaged in e-commerce may increase in the coming period, as the taboos during the epidemic period have also disappeared, Ekmekci said:

“We anticipate that this increase process will exceed ₺400 billion in 2021 with investments to be made for consumer demands. We think that this year, e-export will gain great momentum with tax cuts, government supports, and investments from global platforms. The 50% tax exemption for micro-exporter who makes sales abroad on the internet, which entered into force as of January 1, was also a pioneer of future support packages to be provided by Turkey. On the other hand, 2021 will be the year of innovative business models for delivery. Tens of thousands of e-commerce delivery points are aimed to be implemented. In this context, shopping malls, tradesmen, and gas stations can be the delivery point. With these new regulations, we expect employment in the field of logistics to double.”

Source: AA / Translated by Bazaar Times Team

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