Key elements of e-Commerce development in Tatarstan were discussed with leaders of Internet retailer OZON, Wildberries and Yandex.Market

The e-commerce market in Tatarstan is developing rapidly. Its share in the total volume of retail trade of the Republic at the end of 2018 amounted to 1.3% against the all-Russian indicator of 1.7%.

Such data were announced today by RT Minister of economy Farid Abdulganiev at meetings with representatives of the largest multi-category online platforms OZON, Wildberries and Yandex.Market. The experts discussed the peculiarities of e-Commerce development in the Republic and the drivers of its growth, the projected demand for specialists of new professions in the region and the social burden that falls on the operators of online Commerce when working in the market of the Republic. Special attention was paid to the concept of e-commerce in Tatarstan and the main directions of its development.

A significant share of the online commerce market is due to several factors: in the Volga Federal district, Tatarstan ranks first in the number of Internet users and is the region with the highest average salaries in the PFD, the Republic provides favorable conditions for doing business, stimulates the entry of more entrepreneurs into the market.

One of the key elements of e-Commerce development in the region is the active construction of infrastructure facilities – 16 industrial parks and 74 industrial sites. Also, in the region there are territories of advanced socio-economic development, allowing e-commerce enterprises to receive preferences in the implementation of investment projects. As residents of PSEDAs, they can benefit from reduced insurance premium rates and income tax rates, as well as exemption from corporate property tax and land tax in the implementation of investment projects.

In addition, Farid Abdulganiev noted the high share of Internet penetration in the region. According to him, 88% of Tatarstan citizens have access to 4G, and taking into account the coverage of 2G and 3G networks, about 97% of Tatarstan citizens have access to the Internet.

"Tatarstan has all the necessary conditions to take a leading position in the e-commerce market: high export and infrastructure potential, digital, logistics, warehouse, - said the Minister of economy of the Republic of Tatarstan Farid Abdulganiev. "The development of e-Commerce will have a positive impact on the economy of the region, will ensure the development of new sales channels of Tatarstan producers and will promote the development of small and medium-sized businesses, the entry of our companies through new sales channels not only to the all-Russian, but also to foreign markets."

All this, according to the minister, contribute to attracting large online retailers to the market of the region. Thus, the OZON group of companies plans to implement an investment project for the construction of a logistics center with an area of 40 thousand square meters on an area of 10.5 hectares. The volume of attracted investments will amount to 2.84 billion rubles. The distribution center of the online trade operator will open in the II quarter of 2020, the project will create about 2 thousand new jobs. 

In the same year, another logistics hub with an area of 100 thousand square meters will be opened by Wildberries near Zelenodolsk. Investments of the project are estimated at 5 billion rubles. The social effect of the project will be expressed in the employment of more than 5 thousand people.

As the head of the Ministry of economy Farid Abdulganiev noted, the placement of assets in Tatarstan will allow these companies to minimize logistics costs, while gaining access to a wide consumer audience.

"50% of the population of Russia lives within a radius of 1000 km, which makes it possible to organize convenient transport links between these regions and Tatarstan, and therefore fast delivery of orders from marketplaces to customers," the Minister said.