E-commerce

December online transactions save face

Online turnover declined 11% last month compared to December 2019, according to data the Finance Ministry has collected.

In April, the full month of lockdown during the first wave of the pandemic, the decline came to 21%, so it appears that the click-and-collect system and the Christmas effect saved a part of retail turnover.

Turkey to register record volume of e-commerce in 2020

Turkey's e-commerce volume reached 190 billion Turkish liras ($24.68 billion) by the end of 2019, and expected to hit a record by the end of this year, the chairman of the Association of E-commerce Operators said on Dec. 21.

Emre Ekmekci told Anadolu Agency that Turkey's e-commerce has shown a record growth this year with the effect of the pandemic.

Turnover increase of 20% for retailers this week

The first week after the introduction of the hybrid e-commerce model known as click-and-collect (dubbed "click-away" in Greece) saw the turnover of retail enterprises boosted by about 20% compared to the previous week. However, in this can in no way offset all of the sector's festive season losses as the lockdown does not allow for the conventional operation of brick-and-mortar stores.

Curbside pickups no solution

According to the great majority of store owners, the "click-and-collect" option - allowing them to open during the lockdown by taking phone or online orders and with shoppers picking up their purchases outside the shop - won't make a huge impact on their turnover.

E-shops, couriers buckling under shutdown pressure

With retail experiencing its second lockdown in a year, representatives of big chains and smaller businesses alike are insisting that stores must open as soon as possible with strict measures in place, as courier companies and e-shops are finding it increasingly difficult to meet the increased demand.

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