SME E-Commerce Turnover Grows 80%

IdeaSoft has released the 2019 results of its "SME E-Commerce Report," published annually since 2013.According to the report examining over 8,000 virtual stores, 5.1 million orders and 42 million products were sold in the past year. SMEs' total e-commerce turnover grew 80% compared to the previous year, exceeding TRY 1.6 billion. The 2019 results of the "SME E-Commerce Report," prepared annually by e-commerce infrastructure provider IdeaSoft to closely monitor SMEs' digitalization processes, have been released. According to the report, compared to 2018, a total of 42 million products were sold through over 8,000 virtual stores using IdeaSoft infrastructure, representing a 25% increase. In 2018, for the first time, orders placed via mobile devices exceeded those from desktop devices. The increase continued in 2019, with orders from mobile devices reaching 2.9 million with a 30% rise, while desktop orders in online shopping remained close to the previous year at 2.2 million. In the geographic distribution of online shopping across regions, the Marmara Region contracted while the Eastern Anatolia Region experienced a 114% increase in market share. Consumers again preferred Monday for online shopping in 2019.

SMEs' total e-commerce turnover exceeded TRY 1.6 billion

In 2019, IdeaSoft users' online stores reached 8,125, increasing 25% compared to 2018, and achieved sales of 42 million 37 thousand 694 products. Thus, SMEs' total e-commerce turnover increased 80% compared to the previous year, reaching TRY 1 billion 621 million 17 thousand 296. An average of 8.1 products were ordered per online purchase, while the average cart value was recorded at TRY 315.38.

Mobile devices lead in traffic, desktop leads in conversion rate

The most striking point in IdeaSoft's "SME E-Commerce Report 2019" results was the traffic ratio from mobile devices to e-commerce sites. 75.7% of page views were made via mobile devices, while desktop viewing accounted for 24.3%. The number of desktop orders remained at 2 million 189 thousand 621, while mobile orders reached 2 million 950 thousand 333. When examining the conversion rate of page views to sales, desktop, which maintained its leadership in orders in 2018, showed a similar pattern in 2019. While 5 per thousand of desktop views converted to sales, this ratio remained at 2 per thousand on mobile.

Online shopping in Eastern Anatolia recorded 114% growth

The Marmara Region remained the most preferred region for online shopping at 42.73%, followed by Central Anatolia at 14.99%, Aegean at 14.23%, Mediterranean at 9.88%, Black Sea at 9.45%, Eastern Anatolia at 4.51%, and Southeastern Anatolia at 4.21%. Compared to the previous year, a decline was observed in the market share of the Marmara and Central Anatolia regions between regions, while a significant increase occurred in the shares of other regions. An 11% increase was recorded in the order share of the Aegean and Mediterranean regions; 62% in Southeastern Anatolia; and 97% in the Black Sea region. The Eastern Anatolia Region achieved record expansion with a 114% increase in market share among regions.

Gaps during work hours are being used for online shopping

When online shopping is examined by season, online shopping moved sluggishly during the 'summer' season. However, 'autumn' emerged as the season with the most orders, with discount days such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday, when searches related to online shopping increased 24-fold. The accelerating pace of daily life has led users to shop during short intervals during work hours while meeting their needs. While consumers preferred Monday most for online shopping in 2019, a quarter of orders are placed between 13:00 and 16:00.

Online stores offering free shipping are in the majority

In 2018, 49% of online purchases offered free shipping, while in 2019 this ratio reached 51%. Thus, in customer acquisition competition, the majority burden fell on online stores that paid for shipping. In cargo company preferences for orders, Aras Kargo ranked first with 34%, Yurtiçi Kargo second with 27%, and MNG Kargo third with 14%. MNG was followed by Sürat Kargo at 11%, PTT Kargo at 4%, and UPS.