Internet sales are gaining popularity in Russia. This trend will continue in 2021, while the share of sales of consumer goods via the Internet will continue to grow. So in this article we will consider positive trends in the development of the Internet market, as well as potential threats.
SO, PROSPECTS:
1. TRADING PLATFORM
In 2018 (after the elections of the President of Russia) limits tax-free purchases abroad will be reduced 50-fold from €1 thousand to €20 per month. It will strangle the market of foreign purchases and Aliexpress will make sense to buy only the conditional case for iPhone.
Already from the seventh December 2017, customs starts to request for purchases abroad and INN buyer. This is necessary to later start charging 18% VAT on all purchases in the foreign Internet-stores (so-called "tax on Alibaba").
Where you will get the entire audience of buyers given that they save approximately 30% on the customs clearance? I believe that these people will continue to save, but change the format: instead of buying from abroad they will go EN masse to the marketplace.
The future of the foreign marketplace and Aliexpress
Due to the mandatory provision of data the INN and links on the goods market, purchases from abroad will be significantly reduced. And after the adoption of the law on customs duties (and VAT law), the market purchases from abroad will be virtually destroyed.
The situation with foreign marketplaces is complicated by the fact that the link to the product — a requirement for the distribution of parcels to private and delivered from online stores. At the same prevailing share of eBay sellers, private traders, and therefore, links to products stored a long time. If the link can't check at the customs, the parcel relates to private orders.
Most Russians bought from abroad conditional cases for iPhone and other small things, as evidenced by the statistics of the Association of companies of Internet trade:
Why will rise of the Russian trading platforms
Because the marketplace is a large and movable. It unites on one platform of thousands of small shops. Little online store higher margins (due to work on the simplified system of taxation and less hassle with bookkeeping), he is mobile and can focus on one product category to choose in her only the best. But the permeability through the site is much higher than mono shop!
The quality of the stores automatically watches marketplace: using reviews, ratings and motivating stores to be the best in its category. It turns out natural competition.
After closing for millions of Russians market purchases from abroad a number of marketplaces in the country will increase manifold.
2. THE INCREASE IN SALES
Already formulated a new term "extreme shopper" – extreme buyer, which in the Internet more.
It features:
This category is the main audience of the Russian Internet shops. Compare: in the US only 37 percent of these "stremlow" of the total number of buyers, and we have 61 per cent. Maybe his role is played by the relative novelty of e-Commerce as such.
Today the most active sell on the Internet?
- computer equipment;
- air and railway tickets;
- shoes and clothes;
- electronics;
- automotive parts;
- the goods for the house and furniture.
These products are gaining greater coverage of the audience: they look at websites, looking for options, compare, and eventually buy.
Why do people choose Internet sales? Because of the obvious advantages – saving time and money. In addition, there are goods, which you will not find in offline retailers.
3. INTERNET COMMERCE GOES TO THE REGIONS
Who now buys on the Internet:
1st place. Moscow.
2nd place. Saint-Petersburg.
The 3rd place. Ekaterinburg.
This trio of leaders and makes the major percentage of sales. But the situation may change, because the Internet business has gone to the regions.
Internet Commerce in the regions has its own peculiarities, pros and cons. Of the minuses – expenses for regional office, rental of warehouses. On the other hand, if it does not invest, the buyer will go to an offline store. There is no need to wait for the product, you can try on and touch, to evaluate visually.
Plus Internet-trade in regions:
Regions suggest potential colleagues to save on the product description and good photos, and to choose a specific group of products, with a focus on any one industry. Let this be a narrow branch, but you are the most competent in the city.
Today's waiting areas?
4. CARE FROM BRANDS
As told by Suzanne in the Comedy "the Most charming and attractive": "Nagy, who now will surprise corduroy pants?!". So in modern trade brands nowadays, especially the buyer who has learned to choose "their" product without looking at fashion labels.
Avoiding the brand for quality is a global trend, and Russia is no exception. Loud and well-known brand does not always guarantee a hundred percent quality and reliability of the product. Sometimes just the opposite is speculation on big names. A thoughtful buyer who has learned how to compare the technical characteristics of goods, study reviews and do not hesitate to write to the seller, more likely to choose a modest brand, but it will be exactly what he needs.
Also in the segment of consumer goods is "gray horses" with little-known names that are just as well-known brands. And today they have great chances to be implemented through an online store.
5. BET ON A UNIQUE RANGE
Even foreign users of our online stores, noted that the Russian e-Commerce high level of customer focus. And this is useful not only to customers but also shop owners. Knowing your buyer, he may adjust the range of the store, and to sell what is really demanded by people.
Among positive tendencies of development of Internet trade experts note a reference to more specialized outlets. And this has its own logic. Become a professional in one chosen field, and then people will be pulled to you.
The Internet is good for the fact that here you can find some special products that are not available in retail stores. For example, gifts - events (skydiving, date on the rooftop, hot air balloon rides), certain components for creativity - these groups of products can be found exclusively on the Internet.
But even if the range of the online store are not particularly unique, you can try to make it so, having toiled on the description of the goods.
How to make the product unique?
6. THE LANDMARK TRUST
Trust – is the level of trust search engines to your site. And the reality is that the Internet is delayed and demanded those who had been giving this subject special attention. Novice traders that make their first steps in Internet Commerce, must know that the ignorance in this question dooms their sites to oblivion.
Criteria that increase the level of trust:
- good usability and behavioral factors;
- domain age (the older, the better);
- themes;
- the uniqueness of the content;
- the layout template;
- download speed.
Well, if you are able to deal with these nuances yourself, if not seek the help of a competent SEO specialist who will bring your website to the desired trajectory.
The Outlook for the next couple of years is that market relations will win the most technically-savvy online seller who knows how to make your website not only beautiful and comfortable, but also selling.
ON GOOD TALK, NOW LET'S DISCUSS THE FACTORS THAT THREATEN SUCCESSFUL E-COMMERCE IN RUSSIA.
THREAT NO. 1 – THE ARRIVAL OF FOREIGN COMPETITORS
With the development of Internet communications on the Russian market comes a large number of foreign players who are attracted by the potential of our customers.
Foreigners have a number of significant advantages, including a wide range of goods and low price, all these together and snap off a piece of the "pie" local Internet sellers. Large proportion of the costs of the Russians in foreign online stores are in China (52%), in stores in the EU buy about 23% of Russians, and in the US approximately 12%.
The threat from foreign marketplaces real because they are not required to pay Russian taxes, which of course puts them at a disadvantage with Russian sellers.
The experts at remote trade believe that the presence of foreigners in the Russian Internet market requires legislative regulation. Customs duty and Russian taxes they have to pay, even in some his version. If this happens, the trading of "occupation" will be expanded.
THREAT NO. 2 – THE PROBLEM OF SECURITY OF PAYMENTS
A few years ago, the security problem of electronic payments was highly specialized and not particularly bothered ordinary citizens. Today, when using plastic cards pay purchases on the Internet, it is relevant even for Housewives. What can we say about the owner of the shop that he often concerned with protecting their business from cyberhawks.
Hackers are inventing new ways of stealing money from Bank cards. Statistics of "Yandex" shows that more than 80 thousands of sites offer to install a malicious extension for browsers that follow the victims, collecting and transmitting confidential information. Protection of dangerous extensions "Yandex.Browser" works about 10 thousand times a day.
In the event that if the online store or his partner do not protect their payments using certified products, the personal data card of the buyer, as his money might be stolen.
Typical problems with online payments today - is the interception of funds during a transaction, phishing (stealing a username or password), skimming (stealing payment card data by "reading" the ATM) and many others.
Fraudsters throw a shadow on the reputation of individual online store, and to the whole sphere as a whole.
The alternative to payment by credit card today are electronic wallets or virtual credit card. However, these resources to pay are not always safe. So, if your store accepts payment by credit card, the site should be equipped with a certified system of protection payments.
THREAT NO. 3 – A LOW LEVEL OF BUSINESS CULTURE
Yes, that's right: technology is advancing, and the culture of interaction partners remains at a low level. Russian everyday life are such that suppliers would disrupt the timing, the landlords, to expel from the premises or to suddenly raise fees, but "Mail of Russia" will continue to lose the parcel.
If these troubles are not completely excluded from the Russian reality, we would like to minimize the damage from them.
