E-commerce market size in Turkey 2016-2020

The market size of e-commerce in Turkey showed a significant increase, especially after 2018. Between 2016 and 2020, the market size showed over three times inflation-adjusted growth. This growth indicates a 43 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over four years.

The rapid growth of e-commerce in the country

    The development of modern technologies in line with the widespread use of the internet has widely contributed to the e-commerce market growth. In December 2021, e-commerce made up one-fifth of total retail sales , showing an apparent change in people’s shopping behavior. Additionally, the number of e-commerce transactions in the country increased rapidly in the last few years, reaching a record number of four hundred million in the fourth quarter of 2021.

A significant shift in the shopping behavior of the consumers

    Fast consumption practices and the changing demands of the consumers, together with the unique conditions of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, paved the way for the e-commerce market to grow immensely. The competition among thousands of sellers and their efforts to improve customer experience resulted in more reasonable prices and a time-saving shopping experience which were the consumers’ main motivations to shop online in 2021. In the same year, 64 percent of the internet users purchased a product or service online, which indicated that Turkish consumers adapted to shopping online.