TL 129 billion spent on online shopping


According to data from the Interbank Card Center, the revenue generated from online shopping in Turkey, which was TL 12.9 billion ($5.514 billion) in 2010, has steadily increased from TL 18.7 billion in 2011, TL 25.2 billion in 2012 and TL 34.6 billion in 2013 to TL 34.7 billion as of September 2014, which totals around TL 126.1 billion in the last five years. Hakan Orhun, president of the Electronic Trade Operators Association, told an Anadolu Agency reporter that the electronic trade sector grew by 30 percent last year compared to 2013's figures, adding that e-trade is still hungry for new enterprises and investments. "The target to reach ten million customers was exceeded. The number of online banking users was an important target for us, and I can gladly say that we reached our target, with more than 12 million e-trade users," he said. Comparing Turkey to developed countries in terms of e-trade, Orhun emphasized, "The number of people who use online shopping [in Turkey] is one third of total Internet users. We expect this rate to reach two-thirds in a very short time, just as in developed countries. Even though Turkey is five or six years behind the U.S. e-trade market, we can reach our new targets faster than we expect since the growth rate of the Turkish market is much faster than the U.S. and European markets. Additionally, Turkey has come forward as a leading country and a role model in terms of e-trade among other countries in the region." Orhun highlighted that although the installment payment restrictions applied to credit cards have had a negative impact, e-trade is a sector that maintains effective campaigns and prices. He concluded by remarking that the number of companies whose annual endorsements are around TL 100 million should be increased as fast as possible so that the e-trade sector can reach its full potential.