Digital take-off: e-commerce turnover in Russia has grown 5.5 times in seven years
Since 2019, the volume of online commerce in Russia has increased approximately 5.5 times: from 2 trillion to 11.5 trillion rubles, Rospotrebnadzor reported. The ministry noted that the growth of online purchases has led to an increase in the number of appeals from citizens regarding distance trading — there have been about three times as many. Currently, such complaints account for about 37% of all trade complaints. Izvestia investigated what ensured the growth of turnover, as well as how well the current regulation of distance trading copes with the growth of the market today and whether it needs to be changed.
Customer protection
The platform economy is developing rapidly. The Ministry of Economic Development told Izvestia that Law No. 289-FZ, prepared under the leadership of Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet Dmitry Grigorenko, is aimed at protecting the rights of consumers, entrepreneurs and service providers, as well as the development of this sphere.
Currently, the ministry, together with government agencies, businesses and large platforms, is preparing by-laws, including rules for creating a register of digital platforms. It is planned to check sellers and goods through government systems in order to protect buyers from unscrupulous sellers and improve the quality of goods.
"We also note that amendments to the Code of Administrative Offences are currently being prepared for the second reading, which will establish responsibility for violating the requirements of the law on the platform economy," the ministry noted.
Alexander Isaevich, CEO of the SME Corporation, told Izvestia that there are now more than 400,000 small and medium-sized entrepreneurs working in online commerce in Russia. The sharpest increase occurred in the first year of the pandemic, when the number of sellers among SMEs almost tripled.
According to him, the development of platforms and marketplaces continues to stimulate the market, so the issue of regulating relations between participants is becoming increasingly important. At the same time, the Consumer Protection Act protects the rights of buyers, while sellers still have less such legal protection.
Entrepreneurs can complain about problems when working with marketplaces through the 360 service on the SME.RF platform. More than 600 appeals have already been reviewed. Most of them are related to fines, loss of goods in warehouses, refunds and illegal use of brands. As a result, the sellers managed to return about 36 million rubles.
— Regulation of electronic commerce should be balanced: it is necessary to protect sellers, but at the same time not to infringe on buyers and not cause price increases. Government agencies, marketplaces and business associations are currently working on this," the expert noted.
System improvement
The growth of e-commerce began during the COVID-19 pandemic, said Sofia Glavina, associate professor at the Faculty of Economics at RUDN University. According to her, the further development was helped by the improvement of logistics, delivery and service at online stores and marketplaces. At the same time, in March Rostrud began a large-scale audit of the e-commerce sector, focusing on warehouse logistics and order pick-up points, where flexible employment through civil law contracts and self-employment is widely used.
"Online trading also attracts suppliers with a more understandable payment system," she noted. — In traditional retail, payment is sometimes delayed for months, whereas on marketplaces the standard has been formed — about four weeks between the sale of goods and the payment of funds to the seller. In addition, the presence of Chinese businesses in the Russian market is increasing: it is estimated that in 2025, about 20% of new online companies were launched by entrepreneurs from China.
Glavina cited the rapid expansion of the market, which regulation does not always keep up with, as the main reason for the increase in the number of complaints. Buyers most often encounter product inconsistencies with the description, delivery delays, return difficulties, and hidden costs. In her opinion, the industry needs clearer rules for filing complaints and uniform criteria for checking sellers and goods, and in the future, a separate e-commerce supervisory authority may appear.
The growth of e-commerce is associated with the development of the Internet, digital technologies, delivery services and marketplaces that have made shopping more convenient, Ivan Abramov, First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Economic Policy, told Izvestia.
According to him, there have been about three times as many complaints about remote trading, which is due to the growth of the market itself. Most often, customers complain about the low quality of goods and fakes. The law on the platform economy will come into force on October 1. It may be modified to regulate the relationship between platforms and sellers and strengthen control over the quality of goods.
Customers are increasingly choosing products online, comparing offers on the Internet rather than in offline stores, Oleg Akimov, associate professor of the Department of Banking and Entrepreneurship at the State University of Management, said in an interview with Izvestia. However, the more online purchases there are, the more complaints there are. Most often, the claims relate to fakes, product inconsistencies with descriptions or photographs, and misleading characteristics.
"The current regulation has not yet fully kept pace with the rapid growth of the industry," he believes. — Clearer rules of operation in the market, elimination of gaps in legislation, as well as the development of reputation systems for sellers and online platforms based on customer feedback can reduce the number of complaints.
The growth of e-commerce turnover in Russia is also associated with a change in consumer habits, an expert in the field of science fiction told Izvestia.Analytics" by Roman Chikun. According to him, online platforms have expanded access to goods and simplified the entry of small and medium-sized businesses into the market, so marketplaces have actually become an important infrastructure for modern trade.
An additional impetus was given by the departure of European brands, which increased interest in Russian goods, as well as the expansion of the presence of marketplaces in the regions, said Peter Shcherbachenko, associate professor at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation. For example, in the south of Russia, sales turnover increased by 30-50%. The development of the platform economy infrastructure also played an important role: during the year, the number of order pick-up points increased by almost 45% and exceeded 226 thousand, including due to the launch of platforms in small towns and cooperation with Russian Post offices.
According to the expert, increased control over the accuracy of product information will help to increase customer confidence in online stores, which will also reduce the number of returns.
Izvestia sent a request to Rospotrebnadzor, but had not received a response by the time the material was published.
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