ISTANBUL, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- Türkiye is gearing up for the highly anticipated shopping spree before the year-end, with promotional campaigns scheduled for shopping days including Black Friday on Nov. 29, Singles' Day on Nov. 11, a Chinese version of Black Friday, and Cyber Monday on Dec. 2, all expected to drive e-commerce sales to new heights.
In November alone, sales are projected to reach 500 billion Turkish liras (14.6 billion U.S. dollars), an increase of more than 110 percent compared to last year, according to Hakan Cevikoglu, chairman of the Turkish E-commerce Association.
"We expect the e-commerce sector to close the year with an annual turnover exceeding 3 trillion liras, bolstered by the 'Last Market of the Year' campaign scheduled for Dec. 29," Cevikoglu remarked at an e-commerce summit in Istanbul on Oct. 25.
In the meantime, the chairman advised shoppers to use official marketplaces and check the trust mark issued by the Ministry of Trade, as scams like phishing and spam will likely rise during this shopping season.
To prepare for the shopping surge, online retailers have set competitive discounts across various product categories.
Irem Genc, founder of Alerma, a beauty and personal care company, is optimistic about November's sales potential. "November is our most profitable month," said Genc, adding the company made impressive sales last year and expected better results this year.
Many consumers have been holding off on buying long-desired products, eagerly awaiting favorable discounts. Serpil Gokdil, an Istanbul resident, plans to purchase kitchen appliances during the shopping festivals.
"I'll closely monitor the discounts to catch the best deals," Gokdil told Xinhua. She also plans to stock up on pet food and cat litter for her dog and five cats.
According to the data firm Statista, the market size of e-commerce in Türkiye has shown a significant increase, especially after 2018. Turkish Trade Minister Omer Bolat said the country's e-commerce volume surged from 136 billion liras in 2019 to 1.85 trillion liras in 2023, marking an increase of more than 13 times.
