Eastern European online retail is catching up

Overview of Eastern European online retail
Leading European online retailers have closely followed the dynamic increase in internet use in Eastern Europe over the last few years. Although not yet up to Western standards, almost all Eastern European markets are experiencing strong growth. This is the insight gleaned from the latest yStats.com report titled “B2C E-Commerce and Internet Trends in 18 Eastern European Countries, September 2010”. In its newest report the Hamburg-based market research company presents recent online retail trends observed in 18 nations in the region.

The most important Eastern European online markets: Russia, Poland, Czech Republic
In Russia B2C e-commerce is a particularly promising segment, attracting more and more international companies such as eBay. For 2010 a strong growth in revenue of 30% is expected for all online retail activities in Russia. Household appliances and telecommunications products are among the most popular categories.
In Poland 25% of all consumers bought products online in 2009, while revenue generated from online retail accounted for 3.2 billion EUR. For 2010 a growth rate of 18% is expected, which is believed to be largely attributed to online auction platforms. After the take-over of online shop Merlin.pl by its competitor Empik.com, a Polish counterpart to Amazon.com is being established.
In 2009, in the Czech Republic the number of internet users over the age of 40 grew compared to the prior year, while the number of internet users below the age of 30 decreased. The most important B2C online retailer in August 2010 was Aukro.cz with 1.6 million unique visitors, followed by Alza.cz with 0.8 million unique visitors.

Dynamic markets in the region: Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Ukraine
In Slovakia a positive trend has been observed in the B2C e-commerce segment. Online retailers expect a 25% growth in revenue for 2010 and a 50% plus in purchases. Slovenia has also experienced dynamic movement in its online retail business. The most important product categories are clothing and sporting goods. In Hungary 30% of the population still considers online shopping too risky. In the Ukraine online shops have gained in popularity; however, certain products such as computer hardware are purchased using online auction platforms.

Trailing behind the rest of Eastern Europe
The Baltic States – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – exhibit a positive trend. In 2009, 48% of all internet users in Latvia said they have shopped online. In Lithuania this share grew rapidly from 7% in 2006 to 56% in 2009. In Albania and the former Yugoslav countries of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia few people make online purchases. Nonetheless, the situation has improved over the last few years and online shops and auction platforms have increasingly gained in popularity. However, in Bulgaria, Macedonia and Romania online retail is still very underdeveloped as evinced by the “B2C E-Commerce in 19 European Countries, September 2010” yStats.com report.

About yStats.com
yStats.com has been committed to research up-to-date, objective and demand-based data on markets and competitors for top managers from various industries since 2005. Headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, the firm has a strong international focus and is specialized in secondary market research. In addition to offering reports on markets and competitors, yStats.com also carries out client-specific research. Clients include leading global enterprises from various industries including B2C E-Commerce, electronic payment systems, mail order and direct marketing, logistics, as well as banking and consulting.

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This release was published on openPR.