Page 185 - RusRPTMay21

fiscal year ending on 31 March (FY20) vs. RUB 209.6bn for CY20.
The GMV (excluding services) of AER’s local business, which fully launched in October 2019, surpassed RUB 54.9bn (+151% YoY) for FY20 vs. RUB 49bn for CY20. This puts the share of its local business at 24% YoY in AER’s total GMV vs. c. 10% at its launch. The number of SPUs from local Russian sellers was up 368% YoY to 7mn in FY20 vs. 5.8mn in CY20.
Although the company did not provide a YoY growth rate for its total GMV figure, AER’s co-CEO Dmitry Sergeev told Reuters that AER’s cross-border business had grown in line with the Russian e-commerce market.
The total number of active buyers on the AER platform reached 26.2mn in FY20 vs. 26.4mn in CY20, with MAU and DAU staying at c. 29.1mn and 8.8mn, respectively.
The number of sellers from China and other countries on AER is around 225,000 (+50% YoY), while the number of local Russian sellers increased 350% YoY to c. 45,000 in FY20 vs. 200,000 foreign and 35,000 local sellers in CY20.
The partnership with MAIL’s VK and OK social networks resulted in 1.2mn new buyers and an audience of more than 8mn for AER.
This year, AER plans to rapidly increase the GMV and assortment of local sellers, as well as enhance its logistics capacity (e.g. AER aims to expand its fulfillment space from c. 30,000 square meters to c. 100,000 square meters thanks to its partnership with Russian Post and Cainiao), improve its customer experience and update its web version, mobile app and loyalty program.
An IPO for AER is possible if such a decision is made by the JV’s shareholders, but no plans or specific dates have been set, according to Mr. Sergeev’s quotes to Forbes. AER is also sticking to its previous plan of reaching $10bn in GMV by 2023 vs. c. $2.9bn for FY20, according to Reuters. The company also aims to invest over $150mn in its own logistics infrastructure in Russia within two or three years, according to management’s quotes to Interfax.
185 RUSSIA Country Report May 2021 www.intellinews.com