E-commerce volume in Turkey reaches $7 billion

ISTANBUL

Electronic commerce volume in Turkey has increased 35 percent in 2014 from the previous year, reaching a volume of 18.9 billion Turkish liras ($7 billion), Istanbul-based Informatics Industry Association, or TUBISAD, said Thursday.

This means that e-commerce represents 1.6 percent of overall retail business in the country, the association disclosed. Growth in e-commerce in 2013 was 14 billion Turkish liras (more than $5 billion).

Kemal Ciliz, the chairman of the association, said this increase had been achieved at a time when the Turkish economy was experiencing slow growth. 

“Nevertheless, e-commerce in Turkey is not at desired level,” he warned though.

Ciliz claimed that e-commerce sector still lacked a solid legal background and proper regulations in order to grow further.

Soner Canko, the chairman of the Turkish Interbank Card Center, said there had been an increase in mobile payment recently. 

"One of every two transaction over online websites are being conducted on mobile websites [according to May’s figures]," Canko revealed.

Turkish people have spent 6.8 billion Turkish liras ($2.6 billion) on websites selling vacation spots and airline tickets while they spent 6.5 billion Turkish liras ($2.4 billion) for retail websites. On betting websites, they have spent 2.1 billion Turkish liras ($790 million).

Although Turkish e-companies have taken a bigger share in overall retail business, they are lagging behind developed countries, the study revealed. Indeed, in developed countries, e-commerce represents 6.5 percent of retail business.

Burak Ertas, a member of the association’s board of directors, said Turkish people were accustomed to using credit cards for their transactions in stores and that it would take time for them to make the transition to using said credit cards on online shopping sites.