Valentine's Day brings 30 billion TL of activity to e-commerce

Ticimax Information Technologies Founding CEO and TOBB E-Commerce Council Member Cenk Çiğdemli said that the online shopping turnover will reach 30 billion TL on Valentine's Day, one of the special days when sales doubled. Stating that the number of businesses engaged in e-commerce has reached 300,000 today, Cenk Çiğdemli said, “For special periods, some websites are opened temporarily and citizens are trapped by being directed to these sites with campaign promises. Citizens should be open to very, very attractive discounts and campaigns.” Stating that in the week before Valentine's Day, with the decrease of the effect of the pandemic in sales, there was a double increase in travel expenses compared to the same period of the previous year, Çiğdemli said, “E-commerce sales started to increase one week before this special day. Before Valentine's Day, sales of e-commerce sites increased by an average of 60 percent compared to the previous week. We expect online spending to reach 30 billion TL for the period of February 14 across Turkey. The volume of the Love Economy was between 10 and 15 billion TL last year. This year, we expect this figure to double, with increases in categories such as travel, flights, hotels, and car rentals. Turkey's total online shopping turnover will reach 30 billion TL.

“Generation Z's gift preference was to donate to NGOs and associations”

During the Valentine's Day Week, the highest sales were seen in event tickets, courses, holidays, hobby trainings and donations to associations and NGOs. Çiğdemli said, “In recent years, experience-oriented gifts such as event tickets, courses, holidays, hobby trainings, SPA and hotel reservations have been on the rise. Activity is very high in the categories of jewellery, watches, jewelry, cosmetics, sports equipment, perfumes, clothing, toys, automobile accessories, technological products, hobby products, toys, collectibles and underwear, especially personalized and name-specific gifts. On February 14, chocolate and flower sales were also active. The differences in the value perception of the Z generation are also reflected in their gift choices. For example, social responsibility expenses such as donating to associations or NGOs and planting saplings on behalf of loved ones can now be presented as gifts. For example, a certificate such as "A sapling has been donated on your behalf" can be framed and given as a gift. Sustainability-oriented products and services also come to the fore. Each website organizes special campaigns for this period. Small differences such as Valentine's Combinations, Valentine's Day Contests, Discount Campaigns and arranging the website in the concept of February 14 increase sales.”

Tips for safe shopping

Ticimax CEO Cenk Çiğdemli listed the points to be considered for safe shopping as follows: “Cyber ​​attackers are creating fake, temporary e-commerce sites for February 14 Valentine's Day. Citizens should pay attention to where they buy gifts from the internet on this special day. It should avoid falling into traps, especially with promises such as big campaigns and discounts. For special periods, temporary websites are opened and citizens are trapped by being directed to these sites with campaign promises. Citizens should be aware to very, very attractive discounts and campaigns. The main goal of cybercriminals is to gain income by accessing the identity or credit card information of online shoppers. While shopping online, it is necessary to check several times whether the website is genuine. The contact information of the site, SSL Certificate should be strictly checked. Whether it is an SSL certificate or not can be understood by the lock sign on the left corner of the address bar when you enter the site. The absence of a lock sign means that the site cannot be trusted, even if there is no fraudulent intent. The address, company and phone information of the site should also be checked. The fact that the site works with a solid infrastructure provider also shows that it is reliable. If it is, you can look at the infrastructure provider company name at the bottom of the site. In addition, credit card information should not be given to anyone, for any reason, over the phone or by text message. The price of the product on other sites should also be checked. If there is an unbelievably big discount, that site should be exited immediately.” With the effect of the pandemic, the number of businesses in e-commerce has reached 300,000 Increasing online trade with the effect of the pandemic, new businesses entered the sector. Çiğdemli, about the growth rate in the sector, said, “The sector has already achieved a very rapid growth momentum with the pandemic. According to the data of the Ministry of Commerce, e-commerce volume in the first 6 months of 2021 increased by 75 percent compared to the same period of the previous year and amounted to 161 billion TL. While the number of businesses engaged in e-commerce was around 60,000 at the beginning of 2020, this figure has reached 300,000 today.”