Specialized research agency Data Insight has just released the international version of its Russian e-commerce report for 2020. Domestic sales of physical goods amounted to 2.7 trillion rubles (some $37 billion at the average exchange rate of the year), up 58% from 2019 — placing Russia among the world’s fastest-growing e-commerce markets.
Several segments recorded explosive growth as the pandemic drove millions of consumers to online shopping, accelerating pre-existing market expansion. The most spectacular example is e-grocery, with sales volumes reaching 13 billion rubles ($180 million), up 250% from 2019. Illustrating this trend, market leader X5 Retail Group posted a 347% GMV jump, becoming Russia’s largest digital company in food retail.
Data Insight also ranks Russian e-commerce sites by sales volume, number of orders and average order value. The 2020 ranking identifies the following leaders:
- Wildberries.ru maintained its leadership in 2020 as its sales revenues reached 413 billion rubles ($5.7 billion), nearly doubling year-on-year. However the company posted a net profit of only 2.11 billion rubles ($29.1 million), twice less than in 2019. Meanwhile, the company launched sales in Poland, Slovakia, Ukraine and Israel — prior to Western Europe and the USA in early 2021.
- With a whooping 144% year-on-year revenue growth, Ozon.ru ranked second in 2020. It was #7 in 2017, #4 in 2018 and #3 in 2019. Last year was extremely favorable to Ozon on the financial front, too: after a $150 million pre-IPO funding round in March, the company made a triumphant debut on the NASDAQ in November, raising more than $1.2 billion instead of the expected $500 million.
- Selling electronic appliances and a variety of other products, Citilink.ru fell from the second place in 2019 to the third one in 2020, with a relatively modest 47% year-on-year growth. The Merlion group, which owns the site, has engaged in talks with Sber for a potential acquisition.
Online fashion leader Lamoda — a property of Global Fashion Group — held the seventh place among Russian e-commerce sites. It underperformed the market with a mere 32% sales growth year-on-year.
Meanwhile, the performance of Western omnichannel retailers Ikea and Leroy Merlin is striking. According to Data Insight’s analysts, the Swedish DIY giant generated almost $566 million in online sales revenues last year (up 175% from 2019), while its French competitor made around $524 million (up 217%).
Amazon is absent from this ranking. The US giant’s sales to Russian consumers are modest, based only on a cross-border offer.
Top 20 Russian e-commerce sites in 2020
This story also appeared in Digital Commerce 360, a leading US industry publication and a partner or East-West Digital News.
