The emerging markets of Brazil, Russia, India and China, known together as BRIC, are predicted to stay ahead of the major advanced e-commerce markets in terms of sales growth through 2019, according to research findings cited in a new report by yStats.com.
Only in China is the online share of total retail sales large by international standards, while in Brazil, India and Russia it remains below 5%, indicating high potential for further growth. India is projected to become the growth champion among the BRIC markets through 2019, with its high double-digit growth rate overtaking the lead position from China.
China is the largest of the four markets both in B2C E-Commerce sales and number of online shoppers, yStats.com’s report also reveals. Though sales growth in China has decelerated from the triple-digit rates it was demonstrating a few years ago, the country is still predicted to grow faster than Brazil or Russia. Internet penetration on the country’s gigantic population was just above 50% last year and only about half of Internet users made purchases online. India has even smaller Internet and online shopper penetration rates, approximately half of that of China’s, and a B2C E-Commerce’s share of retail sales at a tiny percentage, which would allow it to show higher growth rates.
The economies of both Brazil and Russia are going through a difficult phase, but B2C E-Commerce sales are growing nonetheless, as the publication by yStats.com further demonstrates. Online shoppers in these countries are showing an increasing interest in cross-border purchases on Asian E-Commerce platforms, especially those of China, thus connecting the BRIC online markets not only by growth, but also by cross-border sales flow. Another market trend, strong across all four countries, is the rising share of M-Commerce, as mobile devices gain a higher share of Internet traffic.
The competition in BRIC B2C E-Commerce markets features both local and international companies, according to the research findings of yStats.com. China’s Alibaba Group continues to lead online retail in China with its Tmall brand, while its AliExpress cross-border platform is also popular in Brazil and Russia. Home-grown companies Flipkart and Snapdeal hold strong positions in India’s market, while in Brazil the major local player is B2W Digital and in Russia the largest online mass merchant is Ulmart.
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