TNS has conducted research on the popularity of electronic payment methods among Russian online shoppers of different age and demographic groups. Electronic currencies (such as Yandex Money, WebMoney, Qiwi Wallet and PayPal) rank among the three most popular electronic payment methods for the 12-55 year old age group.
The survey found that 97% of respondents had heard of electronic currencies and 46% of them used it to make a payment at least once in the past six months.
Accordingly, e-currencies are more popular than online banking and SMS payments, which were used by 31% and 37% of survey respondents, respectively.
Awareness of electronic payment methods in Russia
Use of electronic payment methods in Russia
As was the case in past years, the most well-known and commonly used electronic currency service in Russia is Yandex.Money. Among residents ages 12-55 living in large cities, 22% used Yandex.Money at least once in the last six months.
The following share of respondents reported using other services: QIWI.Wallet – 21%, WebMoney – 19%, PayPal – 14%, and [email protected] – 6%.
Popularity of main electronic currencies in Russia (spring 2014)
Yandex.Money and Qiwi are the most popular services among adolescents, each attracting 27% of teen users. Meanwhile, WebMoney and PayPal drew in only 24% and 14% of that age group, respectively. Adults between the ages of 46 and 55 used WebMoney and Yandex.Money at a rate of 46% and 40%, respectively. This group pays with Qiwi and PayPal significantly less frequently, at rates of 29% and 27%, respectively.
Men and women use e-currencies with the same frequency. Most users are managers or professionals with medium to high incomes. Most are longtime Internet users (40%), but the proportion of those who have only recently joined the Internet is also high (35%).
Among young people ages 12-17, boys from homes with above average income who are longtime Internet users actively pay with electronic money. Meanwhile, 14% of this youngest age group reported earning money of their own that they can spend online.
The oldest age group is dominated by women (54%), most of whom (48%) are newcomers to the Internet.
E-currencies are mostly used by this group to pay for mobile services, internet access, home utilities, and purchases at online stores. E-money is also used often for transferring money to other users.
Teenagers spend three times more money on online games than the average user, while the oldest survey respondents pay for goods and services most often. More than 40% of older users pay for utility services in e-money, and over 20% use it to pay fines and taxes.
The survey’s subjects were residents between the ages of 12 and 55, living in cities with populations of over 800,000. (In contrast with the previous years, TNS has included the 12-17 and 46-55 age categories.) In total, more than 2,800 respondents participated in the survey.
The findings of this and other surveys are presented in the the latest edition EWDN’s report on Russian e-commerce, which contains a chapter on payments.
