The share of e-commerce in Eastern Europe in 2020 amounted to 10% of total retail sales, which is 36% more compared to 2019, while Ukraine recorded the highest growth rate, by about 45%, to 8% of total retail sales in the country, follows from a study by Euromonitor International.
According to the report, grocery e-commerce in Ukraine in 2020 increased by 107% compared to last year’s indicators. This is due to quarantine restrictions that have facilitated the cooperation of grocery retailers with delivery services.
According to the Euromonitor report, the most in-demand delivery services were free shipping, tracking and free returns – more than half of the respondents surveyed by the company voted for these items.
According to the forecast, the share of e-commerce in the total sales structure will continue to grow in the next five years and in 2025 will amount to about 11% in Ukraine against 8% this year.
Ukraine also showed the highest growth rate in offline retail in Eastern Europe – about 5%. At the same time, grocery retailers recorded changes in customer behavior patterns during quarantine.
Among the trends in grocery retail, the shift to small formats stands out. Across Eastern Europe, small grocery outlets perform better in 2020 and are forecast to do so in the future. However, the share of hypermarkets is down by 2.5% this year, and they are reducing space or transforming into supermarkets, the survey said.
Meanwhile, about 55% of the respondents surveyed by the company believe that the COVID-19 pandemic has forever changed the way shoppers are shopping, the role of e-commerce will continue to grow, and about 25% expect return to their previous conditions in the medium term.
