Online sales expected to hit 400 billion Turkish Liras this month

ISTANBUL

Online sales volume is expected to reach a whopping 400 billion Turkish Liras ($14 billion) in November due to discount campaigns and special occasions, according to Hakan Çevikoğlu, the president of the Association of E-Commerce Operators (ETİD).

The Singles’ Day, Legendary Friday, Teachers’ Day, Cyber Monday and the school break this month will give a boost to the industry, he said.

Sales are expected to increase by 110 percent compared with last year to amount around 300 billion liras to 400 billion liras, Çevikoğlu added.

E-commerce platforms will offer discounts for a wide range of products, including consumer electronics, and clothing, throughout the month, according to Çevikoğlu.

“There will be an online shopping spree this month.”

Consumer electronic sales will boom in November, he said.

Çevikoğlu noted that some 7 million university students are eligible to benefit from a scheme the government recently announced under which they will be able to buy smart phones and tablets without paying any taxes.

Çevikoğlu, who is also the general manager of PttAVM.com, expects strong demand from university students for those products.

Those online campaigns will spread throughout November in order to prevent retailers’ logistics networks from coming under strain and delays in deliveries, Çevikoğlu said, adding that e-commerce platforms will launch campaigns in December as well.

Discount campaigns will take place in the final week of next month, he noted.

The size of the local e-commerce industry will reach around 1.3 trillion liras this year, according to Çevikoğlu.