Eid holiday was a boon for retail, online sales
ISTANBUL
The nine-day-long Eid al-Fitr holiday was a boon not only for the local tourism industry but also for retailers as their sales surged in both physical stores and online.
Turnover of retailers rose between 20 to 25 percent, while online sales grew around 30 percent compared to last year, according to the representatives from the industry.
“Almost half of the sales take place on the eve of the Eid,” said Sinan Öncel, the president of the United Brands Association (BMD).
Particularly the sales of gasoline, food and clothing rose notably, while restaurants and supermarkets also saw more sales, according to Öncel.
“The Eid holiday made an additional 20 to 25 percent contribution to retailers’ sales,” he added.
E-commerce platforms also enjoyed an increased demand during the holiday, according to Seyhun Özkara, the CEO of IdeaSoft.
“We forecast that online sales amounted to between 80 billion Turkish Liras to 100 billion liras,” Özkara told daily Hürriyet.
Online sales rise due to special discounts companies offer, ranging between 10 percent to up to 50 percent, he added.
According to Özkara, consumers went online to buy mostly electronics, food and clothing products as well as personal care and home accessories.
The average order value was somewhere between 1,000 liras to 3,000 liras, he said.
“The clothing and electronics companies generated the largest turnover during the Eid holiday,” Özkara added.
In line with surges in online shopping, cargo deliveries also rose around 40 to 50 percent, according to Ersin Ekinci, the general manager of Kargonomi.
Cargo deliveries in big cities such as Istanbul, Ankara, İzmir and Bursa account for 70 percent of all deliveries, he said.
