Russia, located in the strategic stronghold of the "Belt and Road", is a large emerging market in China's cross-border e-commerce sector, with online commerce reaching 5.6 trillion rubles in 2022. Its e-commerce audience reaches 70 million people, a penetration rate of nearly half of the total population of 146 million. According to the latest forecast by AKIT, the Association of Russian E-Commerce Enterprises, Russian e-commerce sales will reach 7 trillion rubles by the end of 2024, a year-on-year increase of nearly 50%.
According to information published by AKIT (Association of Russian E-Commerce Enterprises), the popular product categories on domestic and foreign cross-border platforms in Russia are: electronics and home, home appliances, clothing and footwear, food, furniture and home, beauty and health in 5 categories.
According to the Yandex 2021 Marketplace survey, the most in-demand merchandise category is adult clothing and shoes, with 64% of respondents having purchased these items at least once during the year. Face/body and hair care products (59%) rose to second place. Most notably, food demand grew by nearly a quarter (50%) taking TOP's top five spots.
Goods that Russians will not buy online include alcohol (36% of respondents) and medicines and dietary supplements (24%). However, the percentage of users who do not intend to buy these goods online has decreased compared to last year.
According to data from Statista's latest Russian e-commerce market report, online e-commerce users account for a major part of consumers aged 25-44 (52.8%), 55% are female, middle- and upper-income users make up two-thirds of the population, with middle-income users (35.5%) and high-income users (34.3%). According to the data, half of urban residents aged 16-55 shop online at least twice a year. 80% buy at least once a month, and 26% buy once a week. Meanwhile, Yandex market research found that Russians prefer shopping on smartphones and tablets, and cross-border sellers should pay attention to improving the adaptability and experience of mobile landing pages to cater to the usage habits of local consumers.
