Russians buy online more often

Consumers in Russia are buying more online. During the first half of this year, the total amount of online payments grew by 12 percent, while the number of transactions increased by 27 percent, compared to the second half of 2015.

Payment service provider Assist Group analyzed 12 million online payments made by cards in Russia and compared the results [pdf] from the first six months of this year with the second half of 2015. That looks like a weird comparison to make, as the winter months are often more popular with online shoppers than, let’s say, April and May. Assist Group says that in some segments it analyzed, the seasonality factor did have an impact on the result, but that in other segments the season was not a key factor. “Therefore, an overall increase of online payments was the reason for the growth.”

So, customers in Russia paid more frequently and spent more money on online purchases in the first half of this year than in the second half of last year. On average, the total value of online payments grew by 12 percent and the number of transactions increased by 27 percent. The results vary depending on the segment.

Food delivery grows with 51 percent

One of the statistics that stands out is the 51 percent growth in the food delivery sector, while at the same time the average cart dropped by 13 percent to 1605 rubles (22.23 euros). A similar situation is observed in the car parts segment: the number of transactions increased by 42 percent, while the average cart value declined by 8 percent to 3652 rubles (€50.58). The largest decrease can be found in the furniture and household goods, where the average cart dropped by 11 percent and the frequency of purchases declined by 14 percent.

“In general, customers in Russia are paying online by cards more often, but at the same time, they are trying to spend less for a single purchase”, Assist Group writes. “The average cart for all industries in six months in 2016 fell by 12 percent from 3247 to 2863 rubles.”