Volume of online shopping escalating in Azerbaijan

More than 36 million users have used the services of e-commerce portal www.b2b.az since 2008, Azerbaijan's Economy and Industry Ministry reported.

Electronic commerce is developing in Azerbaijan in line with ICT sector enlargement.

The portal was established in Azerbaijan to support entrepreneurs' free exit to the market. It was set up by the Ministry with the support of the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ).

The report said more than 10,000 people used the portal's services in the first half of 2014.

Not only citizens of Azerbaijan, but also foreigners use the portal. In the first half of year the portal was used by more than 1,800 users from Russia, the U.S., Ukraine, Turkey, China, Germany, Great Britain, India, Indonesia, Brazil, Italy, Kazakhstan, Estonia, Georgia, Denmark, Greece, Latvia, France, UAE and other countries.

"The volume of e-commerce market in Azerbaijan totaled 1.3 million manats in the first half of the year," the State Statistical Committee said.

The total volume of the retail e-commerce has increased by 15.8 percent in the country compared to the same period in 2013.

The participants of the e-commerce market are legal entities and individuals who are implementing electronic commerce and who are the buyers of goods and services.

Some 78.7 percent out of the purchased electronic goods by the Azerbaijani population accounted for legal entities during the reported period and 21.3 percent - for individuals. Some 90.6 percent of the market turnover of e-commerce accounted for non-food products.

Total retail sales in Azerbaijan amounted to 10.1 billion manats for the first half of 2014. The sales of consumer goods in the country grew by 8.9 percent, compared with the same period last year.

Herewith, some 5.1 billion manats accounted for consumer goods (food, beverages and tobacco), and 5 billion manats for non-food products. The specific weight of non-food products increased by 3.5 percent during the period.