Internet retailer Svyaznoy.ru doubles sales in 2013
MOSCOW. March 18 (Interfax) - The Svyaznoy.ru online retail site doubled sales to 17 billion rubles in 2013, the company said in a statement.
The number of orders increased 63% to 1.5 million last year and the number of unique visits was up 30.7% to 85 million.
Svyaznoy.ru accounted for 20% of sales revenue at parent company Svyaznoy, up from 11% in 2012.
Sales of smartphones rose 112% to 7.1 billion rubles, with the average check ringing in at 13,600 rubles, 30% more than for Svyaznoy's offline retail network. Tablet sales were up 140% to 3 billion rubles (average check data not provided).
The online store accounted for 15% of Svyaznoy's smartphone sales in 2013, 30% of tablets, 56% of notebooks and 83% of ultrabooks. It sold a greater share of notebooks because the number of models offered by stores in the traditional retail network is more limited.
Svyaznoy invested in development of infrastructure for online sales last year: as of year-end it had 33 internet centers, whose combined floor space increased 38% to 7,000 square meters.
The internet centers combine a stock room, a product pickup location and a display area stocked with a limited selection of products. The retail plans to continue developing the format in 2014.
"The ability to receive an order via the retail network combined with the 33 freestanding internet centers captures 80% of the active consumers in Russia," Svyaznoy direct sales chief Rustam Shubenok.
Svyaznoy's retail network currently has 3,341 locations in 909 Russian cities and towns, making it the nation's third largest retail network after Euroset with 5,252 locations and Mobile TeleSystems (MTS) with 4,063.
