Internet shopping on mobile phones and tablets is almost as popular in Russia as it is in Europe, according to a study released Thursday by online payment company PayPal.
"Russian internet users are no different from other consumers in the major e-commerce markets, and they are increasingly using [mobile devices] to purchase goods and make payments — it's faster and more convenient," Vladimir Malyugin, head of PayPal Russia, was quoted as saying in a PayPal press release.
PayPal and market research service Ipsos surveyed the online shopping behaviors of 17,500 customers from 22 countries, including 793 respondents from Russia in October of 2014.
Their study found that Russians use their mobile phones to place an average 2.6 orders online per month, compared to Western Europe's three.
In terms of sales made via tablets, Russians lagged just slightly behind Western Europe, with 2.38 and 2.4 sales per month, respectively, the report said.
Moreover, Russian mobile users are interested in pushing the boundaries of what they can purchase on their devices.
25 percent of Russian smartphone users said they would like to be able to buy things in physical shops with their devices, and 22 percent would like to be able to place reservations or order food ahead of arriving at restaurants.
Overall, the mobile payment market has seen tremendous growth in Russia, rising from 1 percent of the country's total e-commerce market in 2010 to 20 percent in 2014, the report said.
Russia's more than 140 million citizens have already demonstrated their eagerness for shopping online. The country's e-commerce market in 2013 was valued at $17 billion, a 30 percent increase over 2012, according to a March 2014 report by the Association of Online Vendors.
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