Online loyalty: Russians' spending on online shopping increased by 36%
The volume of Russian trade on the Internet in the first half of 2025 increased by 36% compared to the same period last year, according to a study by the Association of Internet Commerce Companies (AKIT). 5.3 trillion rubles were spent on online shopping in Russia. Izvestia investigated how this trend will affect the cost of goods and how much offline retail may decrease.
Price changes
According to estimates by the National Rating Agency (NRA), the results of this year may exceed 15 trillion rubles, and the growth of e-commerce will continue, including due to stagnation of offline sales, said Ainaz Khairullina, senior director of financial institutions ratings at the NRA rating service. Such a turn from a traditional offline store to an online one is dictated by market conditions - widespread digitalization and personalization of customer offers.
— However, the growth of online commerce often leads to cheaper goods as a result of an increase in the number of online sellers and marketplaces that increase competition, cost savings (rent, staff, etc.). At the same time, marketplace algorithms often change prices depending on demand, which can lead to sharp fluctuations," the expert explained.
Increasing the share of online sales can really significantly affect product pricing, Anastasia Vladimirova, managing partner of IPM Consulting, told Izvestia.
— At the same time, the cost of goods against the background of online sales growth may vary ambiguously, since, on the one hand, increased competition between online stores and marketplaces helps to reduce prices by optimizing logistics, reducing the cost of renting retail space and automating processes. However, on the other hand, with such a growing share of online, all this can lead to an increase in prices for certain categories of goods, since it is quite logical that growing demand may put pressure on this. This can be observed especially in segments with high dynamics, such as food or digital goods," the expert noted.
The period when it was possible to buy goods significantly cheaper in online stores is a thing of the past, Vyacheslav Cheglov, professor of the Basic Department of Trade Policy at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, told Izvestia. The government has established effective control over gray shipments and eliminated black shipments, that is, bypassing customs. Dumping in relation to offline trading remains on marketplaces due to the fact that there are many sellers selling there.
— And electronic platforms have their own opportunities to stimulate interest in them. And gray imports, low-quality goods, are widely represented here. But the government will force marketplaces to either control the quality of the goods sold, or take problematic sellers beyond the boundaries of the sites. The law on the platform Economy will mark the beginning of this practice. Additions and changes to the legal norms will follow. Sellers understand this too," the expert believes.
On average, prices in online stores may be lower than offline, but there will be no global reduction in price due to external factors, including logistics costs, Petr Shcherbachenko, associate professor at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, confirmed to Izvestia. In the first half of 2025, the top 5 products in terms of online sales include food (20% of the total), household goods and furniture (15.7%), clothing and footwear (13.5%), electronics and household appliances (12%) and auto parts (6.8%).
New format
Ernst & Young noted in its recent study that the share of offline commerce in the world may decrease from 77% in 2025 to 73% in 2028, but it is still far from rebuilding a larger share of purchases through online stores, an associate professor at the Department of World Economics at the Faculty of World Economics and Politics at the National Research University Higher School of Economics told Izvestia. Ksenia Bondarenko.
If we consider that online commerce has been experiencing rapid growth stages for several years, then, of course, this will put pressure on the compression of offline retail, but its share cannot decrease rapidly, Anastasia Vladimirova believes. Stores where it is possible to physically touch and see the goods do not lose their relevance, but due to the redistribution of sales flows online, such processes force offline retailers to follow the path of optimization through reducing occupied space, retraining staff and switching to a hybrid trading model with the integration of their business also into online platforms - all this We have been observing this for several years now.
Offline retail should not be buried, Vyacheslav Cheglov agrees. Retail is one, and offline and online trading technologies are intertwined. In addition, online retail combines online and offline tools.
— When we talk about the share of online retail in 15% or even 22%, we must understand that they include the work of offline pick-up points, quite terrestrial distribution warehouses and so—called darkstores. In addition, some of the goods in offline stores are sold after viewing the online offer, but they are taken into account in offline sales," the expert notes.
As Vyacheslav Cheglov points out, 30-35% is the expected level of online sales in the next 2-3 years. It is unlikely to be higher, because food, electronics, jewelry, alcohol are still goods that you want to touch, try on, taste or get a live consultation (at least in the PVZ).
The active growth of online sales, in his opinion, is more likely due to supply difficulties and the active remote connection of Chinese and Vietnamese sellers. They are the ones who dump, and the platforms, as well as the Russian Post, are actively helping them. Hence, the problem of the quality of the purchased online goods is aggravated. The seller is somewhere very far away, the intermediary has received the money, he does not want to get involved with an expensive refund.
Protection of rights
When buying low-quality goods online, the same consumer protection law applies, in particular, online trading or remote trading is regulated by art. 26.1 of this law, Anastasia Vladimirova recalled. The buyer has the right to return the product within seven days of receipt, even if it is of good quality, provided that its presentation remains intact. If the product turns out to be of poor quality, the consumer has the right to demand its replacement, repair or refund. To protect their rights when buying low-quality goods online, consumers should follow a clear algorithm. You must have all the necessary documents (or screenshots) confirming the purchase: a receipt, correspondence with the seller, and payment information.
— It is also necessary to contact the seller with a written claim, where you specify the requirements (refund, exchange, repair). If the seller refuses to satisfy the claim, it will be quite relevant to contact Rospotrebnadzor, as a last resort — the court. It is important to remember that, according to consumer law, the seller is responsible for the defects of the goods, unless he proves that they were caused by the fault of the buyer. Also, in general, when buying on marketplaces, in order to protect yourself from the need to protect your rights in the future, we recommend that you read the product reviews and its rating more carefully, this often significantly increases the chances of buying a good product," the expert said.
With the adoption of the relevant law on the activities of digital platforms, the streamlining and regulatory regulation of existing practices begins, Alexander Isaevich, CEO of the SME Corporation, emphasized in an interview with Izvestia. The accumulated issues will have to be resolved in stages, first of all, by determining which platforms are subject to regulation. This will help, among other things, to sort out the responsibilities between the platforms and their participants.
Izvestia sent requests to the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Industry and Trade, but no responses had been received at the time of publication.
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