Turkish industry is famous in many fields from textile to technology, the head of one of the most important e-commerce players in Russia said, noting that their focus is to bring Turkish products to the Russian market.
Ozon Global Director Stepan Gusamov told Anadolu Agency (AA) that they opened an office in Turkey regarding the new opportunities created by various foreign brands leaving Russia and they contacted many companies.
Many foreign brands exited the Russian market after Western sanctions imposed on the country upon the invasion of Ukraine, called “a special military operation” by the Kremlin.
Noting that the brands that left the Russian market were replaced by new ones, Gusamov said: “The Turkish industry is famous in many categories. Clothing, textiles and electronics. So, we see a significant synergy here. We offer this network, which we have built for many years, to the service of Turkish sellers, with 19,000 sales points located throughout the country, which have a good stable delivery rate and on-time delivery.”
Commenting on the business model they offer to Turkish companies, Gusamov said, “For example, we have a partner on the Turkish side, this partner accepts the order, brings it to Russia, we buy it from them and then we distribute it to all our sales points. This creates good potential to work with Russia.”
He said that Ozon is an important e-commerce player in the Russian market with a turnover of $6 billion last year.
“There is a fairly large retail sector in Russia, it is fifth in Europe after the U.K., Germany, France and Italy,” he said, noting the country’s large population of 140 million also makes it an attractive market.
Explaining that many experts agree that more than half of the products will be sold online in 10-15 years, Gusamov said, “As a result of the recent events, we see that many brands have withdrawn from the market, stopped their activities or left completely. Yet, as a marketplace, we do not see a drop in sales or customer exits.”
“According to our estimates, the average annual growth rate of e-commerce in Russia in the period 2022-2025 will be 18.73%, meaning the market is not yet fully saturated and as a technology company, the more goods you can provide, the better for both Russian buyers and Turkish sellers,” he said.
“I am confident that the technology will significantly increase the flow of goods between Russia and Turkey.”
Gusamov pointed out the adaptation of people and companies to the conditions, saying they grew by 140% on an annual basis in the first quarter.
“There are several reasons for this. People continue to live, buy and need products. Even if some brands leave, people continue to consume other products through lesser-known brands,” he said.
About 70% of Ozon’s turnover is made up of sales by our vendors, he said, which means that sellers are adapting to the new conditions as well.
Answering a question about whether they are planning to operate as an e-commerce company in the Turkish market, Gusamov said, “We do not see this as unlikely, but our focus right now is to bring Turkish products to the Russian market. There are big and respected players operating in the Turkish e-commerce sector, who have established their own ecosystems and infrastructures.”
Gusamov stated that they are in contact with all e-commerce platforms and big players in Turkey and that they have increased interaction with logistics companies in the country as well.
