Russians began to order clothes from China more frequently than from the United States.

According to the CDEK.Shopping service, China’s share in cross-border trade has almost tripled. In 2024, China accounted for 29% of fashion products, 19.3 percentage points more than last year. Thus, China went from third place in 2023 to first in 2024. For its part, the United States went from first to second place with 24.5%, 13.5 percentage points less than a year ago.

The increase in orders from abroad is due to the fact that there are fewer options in Russian stores and higher prices, according to CDEK.Shopping. According to their data, in 2024, the number of orders for imported clothing and footwear increased by 47% compared to last year.

According to the Association of Internet Commerce Companies (AKIT), in total in 2024, the volume of Russian online trade amounted to 7.9 trillion rubles, of which only 241 billion rubles (3%) came from purchases cross-border. Clothing and footwear accounted for 10.4% of all cross-border orders, which is equivalent to 25 billion rubles.

Anna Lebsak-Kleymans, CEO of Fashion Consulting Group (FCG), noted that Russians began to order more clothing and footwear from abroad, although from April 2024 the limit for duty-free import of goods for individuals decreased from 1,000 euros to 1,000 euros. up to €200. In his opinion, the growing interest of Russians in Chinese products can be explained by the fact that local suppliers quickly adapt to the needs of Russian buyers and offer competitive prices. In addition, the situation is influenced by the general rapprochement between China and Russia.

However, the founder of Chinese digital marketing agency Mates China, Anastasia Nasedkina, points to problems with international payments, which remain the main obstacle to importing Chinese clothing.

Previously, RIA Novosti reported that in 2024 China will take third place in the ranking of the largest suppliers of beer to Russia. Imports of this drink multiplied by 1.6 and reached 29.8 thousand tons. In 2023, Chinese beer imports ranked only sixth in volume.