Expert: Internet share in Russia’s GDP gains 0.1 pp to 2.3% in 2015

MOSCOW, Apr 13 (PRIME) -- The share of the Internet in Russia’s gross domestic product (GDP) rose to 2.3% in 2015 from 2.2% in 2014, according to preliminary data, Sergei Plugotarenko, director of the Russian Association for Electronic Communications (RAEC), said at a forum Wednesday.

The Internet occupied 1% of the country’s economy five years ago, Plugotarenko said.

The mobile Internet, including mobile development and advertisements, mobile games and purchases from mobile devices, accounts for 25–30% of the total volume. Electronic books, services and online retail show the highest growth rates.

Average yearly growth of the country’s Internet market will be 8–10% by 2018, according to the association’s analysts.

Plugotarenko said the online market follows a crisis model of development and the trend will be in force until 2020, but the market will still grow.

The country’s e-commerce market increased 16% to 650 billion rubles in 2015 and can gain 20% to 780 billion rubles in 2016. The RAEC’s research showed that 54% of Internet users made purchases online every month in 2015, 42% used mobile devices and 35% used smartphones.

The e-commerce segment grew as a higher number of users got more experienced in making online purchases and payments.

The market of Internet advertisements rose 15% to 97 billion rubles. Of the total, media advertisements fell 2% to 18.7 billion rubles, while contextual advertisements spiked 20% to 78.3 billion rubles.

(66.3456 rubles – U.S. $1)

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