The Ozon group yesterday announced revenue growth of 84% for last year in dollar value, reaching $302.5 million and outperforming the Russian online retail market’s estimated 25% rise to some $10 billion.
Particularly notable was the 3.5-fold growth of Ozon Travel, the branch specializing in air and train tickets and hotel bookings. Established in 2009, Ozon Travel served 12 million users in 2011 and generated sales of $109.7 million, up from $29.9 million in 2010 and $1.47 million in 2009.
The group did not disclose the turnover of its main property, Ozon.ru. Founded in 1998, and sometimes referred to as “the Russian Amazon.com,” the site sells a broad spectrum of goods – from books to DVDs and CDs, children’s items, consumer electronics. The Russian edition of Forbes magazine recently estimated the site’s revenues at $184 million, putting it at number two among Russian online retailers behind online grocery store Utkonos.ru.
Ozon.ru said it shipped 2.42 million orders in 2011, up from 1.95 million the year before. Media and Electronics remained key categories, each generating 34% of the site’s total revenue. The company claims segment leadership in online book sales, estimating its market share at around 50%, with 5.5 million books sold in 2011 – a 9% increase over 2010.
Ozon.ru and Ozon Travel together generated an average 15,000,000 unique visits monthly and served 6.5 million registered users.
Delivery to Kazakhstan, money from Japan
The Ozon group also includes O’Courier, a delivery branch it calls “the Fedex of Russia.” O’Courier recently started serving third party e-commerce players in addition to Ozon.ru itself. In 2011 O’Courier expanded its operations beyond 130 Russian cities to include Kazakhstan. The delivery service’s turnover for 2011 remains undisclosed.
In ruble value, the group’s growth reached only 78%, the down-variation from 84% due to exchange rate fluctuations. The $302.5 figure includes gross merchandise value and gross bookings but does not include revenues from Sapato.ru, a major online shoe and accessory retailer which Ozon acquired earlier this year.
Last September, Ozon closed a $100 million round of financing with Russian and Western investment funds and the Japanese e-retailer Rakuten. Ozon’s main shareholder to date, Baring Vostok Capital, retained its stake in what appeared to be the most significant investment volume in the history of Russian e-commerce.
- RUSSIAN E-COMMERCE REPORT 2012 – The total volume of Russian online retail reached 310 billion rubles, a little more than $10 billion, in 2011, up 25% from the previous year. EWDN’s research study of Russian e-commerce, will be available in April 2012. To receive free insights or to order the full version, please contact us at [email protected].
