In the third quarter of 2025, the Russian e-commerce market maintained its positive growth trajectory. E-Promo Group has released its regular report on media inflation in performance marketing channels for key e-commerce segments: DIY, furniture, appliances, cosmetics, and clothing.
The key trend is that, against the backdrop of industry-wide growth, the cost of acquiring traffic in e-commerce increased by 6.5% over the quarter. This indicates intensifying competition for consumer attention. At the same time, advertising offers have become more conversion-focused, leading to a 2.5% decrease in the cost per action (CPA).
The annual market trend is the opposite: over the past 12 months, the cost per click (CPC) decreased by 8.2%, while the CPA, conversely, increased by 6.8%. Reasons for this include more flexible and technology-driven management of advertising campaigns, as well as the refinement of acquisition channels.
Online sales are actively developing in the regions—according to AKIR (Association of Internet Trade Companies), their share has reached almost 77%. Major marketplaces, including "Megamarket," are actively implementing artificial intelligence to automate marketing and improve advertising efficiency. Significant changes are also noted in key market sectors. Russian e-commerce continued its growth, combining positive dynamics in key performance indicators with a transformation in digital promotion strategies.
Category-Specific Dynamics
Outlook
Despite the quarterly increase in traffic costs, the industry demonstrates an ability to optimize advertising budgets.
Starting in 2027, the Ministry of Finance plans to change the procedure for calculating and paying VAT for e-commerce goods. The new rules will bring structure to online retail but may lead to price increases due to the higher tax burden.
The further development of the market will depend on how well businesses adapt to fiscal changes and their ability to build effective customer communications.
Source
The key trend is that, against the backdrop of industry-wide growth, the cost of acquiring traffic in e-commerce increased by 6.5% over the quarter. This indicates intensifying competition for consumer attention. At the same time, advertising offers have become more conversion-focused, leading to a 2.5% decrease in the cost per action (CPA).
The annual market trend is the opposite: over the past 12 months, the cost per click (CPC) decreased by 8.2%, while the CPA, conversely, increased by 6.8%. Reasons for this include more flexible and technology-driven management of advertising campaigns, as well as the refinement of acquisition channels.
Online sales are actively developing in the regions—according to AKIR (Association of Internet Trade Companies), their share has reached almost 77%. Major marketplaces, including "Megamarket," are actively implementing artificial intelligence to automate marketing and improve advertising efficiency. Significant changes are also noted in key market sectors. Russian e-commerce continued its growth, combining positive dynamics in key performance indicators with a transformation in digital promotion strategies.
Category-Specific Dynamics
- DIY and Furniture: Sales in the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) and furniture segments grew by 11.4% in the first half of the year, but a decline of 3.5% is expected by the end of the year.
- Traffic Costs: The cost per click continues to rise on most e-commerce platforms. The highest growth was observed on Ozon—up 41.2% compared to the previous quarter. Meanwhile, the dynamics on Yandex Direct were more moderate: in brand search, the increase was 12%, while across all campaign types it was 7.3%.
- Cost Per Action (CPA) Trends: Traffic acquisition is becoming more expensive in the media market, especially in e-commerce and niche channels. However, improved efficiency of conversion mechanics and creative optimization are yielding more transactions. For example, in Yandex Direct, the CPA for brand search grew by 14.9%, but across all campaign types, the metric decreased by 2.1%. The decrease in CPA was particularly notable on Ozon—down 26.9% for the quarter. However, compared to Q3 2024, Ozon has seen a simultaneous increase in both CPC (73.9%) and CPA (78.4%), indicating an overall increase in customer acquisition costs on the marketplace.
- Beauty Segment: Cosmetics remain consistently in demand—purchase frequency has increased by 10%, according to Romir. Producer prices have peaked due to the high cost of raw materials, inflation, and operational expenses. In Yandex Direct, the CPC for brand search grew by 18.7%, but across all campaign types, it fell by 20.1%. At the same time, the cost per purchase increased by 18.6% and 15.2%, respectively. The annual growth rates of CPC and CPA in Yandex Direct showed record values. Costs have increased 1.5–2 times: CPC +111.6% and CPA +201.2% in brand search.
- Fashion Segment (Clothing, Footwear, Accessories): This segment is strengthening its position through marketplaces. Consumers are shifting their priorities towards quality: the average price point has increased by 12%, while the number of purchases has decreased by 6.5% year-on-year. Meanwhile, the launch of new brands has fallen by 39% and may reach 50% by the end of the year. The dynamics of advertising spending in the fashion industry are uneven.
- On the VK platform in Q3, the cost per click decreased by 7.5%. The cost per action decreased by 18.7% compared to Q2, but saw a sharp annual increase of 120.4%. Competition for customer attention on the platform has intensified due to a massive outflow of traffic from offline channels.
- In Yandex Direct in Q3, the CPC across all campaign types increased by 13.8%, while in brand search, it saw a minor decrease of 1.1%.
Outlook
Despite the quarterly increase in traffic costs, the industry demonstrates an ability to optimize advertising budgets.
Starting in 2027, the Ministry of Finance plans to change the procedure for calculating and paying VAT for e-commerce goods. The new rules will bring structure to online retail but may lead to price increases due to the higher tax burden.
The further development of the market will depend on how well businesses adapt to fiscal changes and their ability to build effective customer communications.
Source