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With the effect of the novel coronavirus pandemic, the trend towards e-commerce increased while a record increase in orders was observed in the first half of 2020. According to the data of IdeaSoft, the e-commerce sector grew 77% in order and 88% in sales volume in the first six months with the influence of citizens who first met digital channels for contactless shopping.

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ISTANBUL (TR) - With the novel coronavirus pandemic, while consumer behavior has rapidly become digital throughout the world, the e-commerce sector has experienced a serious acceleration in this process. One of Turkey's leading e-commerce infrastructure provider, IdeaSoft released its first six-month report of the e-commerce sector. Within the scope of the study, the data of January-June 2020 of more than 9 thousand e-commerce sites were examined in order to reveal the order and volume increases in e-commerce with the effect of the pandemic. According to this; In the first six months of the year, the sales volume of the e-commerce sector grew by 88% and the number of orders by 77%, with the effect of consumers who went online for the first time compared to the same period of the previous year.

It was noteworthy that there were also those who were negatively affected by the sectors that avoided physical contact with the pandemic process. The sector that recorded the highest growth in the first 6 months of the year was the occupational safety sector, which increased its sales volume by a record increase of 1064.98 percent. The promotion and advertising products sector was the leading sector with a 57.41 percent decline in sales volume.

The time spent at home benefited the home textile and furniture industry

Since March, when the first case of Covid-19 was recorded in Turkey, the time spent at home increased and citizens took action to improve their living areas and eliminate deficiencies. In the process, the couples suspended their engagement and wedding plans and completed their preparations online. According to data shared by IdeaSoft, the largest share of this orientation was home textile with 184 percent sales volume increase, 169 percent furniture, 126 percent hardware and building market, 124 percent electricity, 112 percent dowry and glassware, 117 percent home decoration and 97 percent white goods and home appliances sector took.

Citizens who avoid crowded areas started to order online

Online shopping was also consumers' choice in providing basic needs. Citizens who avoided crowded areas such as stores and markets due to the risk of contamination during the pandemic process began ordering online. According to the data, in the first half of 2020, compared to the same period of the previous year 160 percent in the underwear sector, food 132 percent, agriculture and organic products 74 percent, textile and clothing 72 percent, infant and child products 67 percent, shoes 52 percent and cleaning products 31 percent of the order increase was recorded. On the other hand, some of the consumers sought products that would make their time with their children enjoyable and some activities that would contribute to their personal development. According to IdeaSoft’s data, toy orders increased 123 per cent in 6 months, while the sector's sales volume grew 526 per cent compared to the same period in 2019. The 274 per cent increase in orders for gaming and hobby products increased the sector's sales volume by 172 per cent. In the same period; motorcycle equipment stood out with a 154 per cent increase in sales volume, followed by music and musical instruments with 136 per cent and the book and publishing house sector with 130 per cent.

Hijab clothing, watches and optics orders dropped

While the first half of the year was positive for some sectors involved in e-commerce, others experienced a decline in both order and sales volume. According to the data, the most decline on the basis of orders was in hijab clothing, with 42 percent. Second place was the watch and optics sector with 31 per cent. When you look at the volume of sales, the most decline was 57 percent in promotional and advertising products. Industrial products, which experienced a 48 percent decline, came in second place, followed by the computer with 18 percent decline, the heating and cooling sector with 15 percent and the mobile phone sector with 8 percent.

“E-commerce is no longer an option, it is a must”

IdeaSoft CEO Seyhun Özkara, who made evaluations about the course of e-commerce within the scope of the data they announced, said, “During the Covid-19 process, consumers used their preferences in favor of online shopping. Staying at home didn't stop people from shopping; it just changed its shape and moved it to digital. Of course, many businesses with only physical stores have come to the point of closing the shutters. The companies that became digitized with e-commerce and quickly adapted to this process managed to stay afloat. The pandemic has proved to businesses that e-commerce, whatever the industry, and owning an online store has become a necessity. At IdeaSoft, we do not think that this change in both consumer behavior and businesses is solely due to the pandemic, but it does give a serious impetus to the digitisation process. Thousands of consumers experiencing online shopping for the first time since March, and hundreds of SMEs starting e-commerce within days, have become part of the e-commerce ecosystem. We share instant sales data by realizing a first in Turkey canli.ideasoft.com more than 17 million products have been sold this year.”