E-commerce in Ukraine, like in many areas of the developed world, is seemingly on the rise thanks to a change in consumer demands across the Eastern European nation.
Full-year figures from Ecommerce Europe show that $1.8 billion was spent on goods and services by Ukraine’s connected population in 2013, leaving the country behind only Russia in terms of total sales.
As the country awaits its review for last year, Ukrainian classified ads website OLX.ua has trawled through its own data to show the things that retailers might want to look out for in 2015.
Growth stays confined
Going off information from products sold in 2014, OLX found that growth in Ukraine’s online shopping sector is being fuelled largely by success in the capital of Kiev, where one in three transactions (34.3%) took place.
In general, growth in products sold appears to be stemming from business in the western and central regions of the country, which saw their number of transactions double compared with 2013.
The results are based on purchases driven by ads placed on OLX.ua, which saw a 62% increase in its own conversions year on year.
The usual suspects
OLX’s review of popular product categories were slightly skewed by its site’s specialisms, as real estate – far from being an impulse buy – accounted for 26.5% of purchases.
Lower down the list there was space for some of the more recognised product categories, such as electronics (accounting for 18.7% of sales) and fashion items (14.9%).
Baby products managed a fourth placing (12.1%), with transport – including cars and bikes – making up the top five (7.7%).
Further analysis of OLX.ua revealed a 20% rise in site users and as more consumers turn to their devices for buying, the site hopes this will enable another increase in 2015.
Until then, here are the results for products sold by category.
