In March of 2020, Moscow companies’ e-commerce sales stood at RUR 16 bln ($216 mio), which is 38.2% more than in February, the website of the government of Moscow reports.
According to Deputy Mayor for Economic Policy and Property and Land Relations Vladimir Yefimov, this is almost half of the city’s total trade volumes in this year’s first quarter.
“Moscow’s e-commerce market has been rapidly developing. Online sales have grown by 6.8% since March of last year and now total 24% of Russia’s overall online trade. The highest e-commerce activity was observed in March of 2020, with almost half of the deals made prior to the introduction of the restrictions, with the shift to remote work in effect at enterprises in most spheres,” he said.
In early April, popular convenience chains and grocery shops launched expansive programs for e-commerce sales and deliveries in Moscow and the Moscow Region, said Kirill Purtov, Moscow Government Minister and Head of Moscow’s Department of Economic Policy and Development. According to statistic data, retailers’ daily sales reached RUR 5.4 bln ($73 mio) during the week between 20 April and 26 April, or 5.6% higher against the previous week.
Small- and medium-sized enterprises can receive a special subsidy to promote their products through online platforms and sites offering food delivery services.
“The subsidy compensates for up to 50% of an aggregator’s fee for placement of goods and services. The terms for rendering services were adjusted in late April to meet requests from business people; a requirement was abolished for an aggregator for a fee of not more than 20% of the product cost. The subsidy can be as much as RUR 700K,” head of Moscow’s Department of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Development Andrei Fursin said.
In this year’s first quarter, the city’s online sales totaled RUR 37.8 bln ($500 mio). Due to support measures, local retailers are adapting to the restrictions introduced amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, including through boosting their online sales.