The use of the Internet and online shopping in the country has increased this year, and Internet banking was used by 104 percent more than last year.
Internet penetration in the first quarter of this year increased to 83,7 percent coverage of households compared to 79,9 percent in the same period last year. This year, in the same period, 86,4 percent of Macedonians aged 15 to 74 used the Internet, compared to 81,4 percent last year. 87,8 percent of men used the Internet, compared to 85,1 percent of women. As many as 80,5 percent of Macedonians were active on the Internet on a daily basis, and in terms of gender distribution, men used the Internet more than women. The ratio is 82,6 versus 78,4 percent.
According to Eurostat data, The Internet was mostly used this year for telephony, ie 90,6 percent, then for monitoring social networks (85,2 percent) and for exchanging messages via Skype, Messenger, WhatsApp, Viber… (82,3 percent).
Women made more phone calls than men, ie the ratio is 92,9 versus 88,4 percent. Women used the Internet more only when searching for health-related information, while in all other cases men used the Internet more.
E-commerce also grew by 15,5 percent, according to data from the State Statistical Office. The survey conducted in the first quarter of the year in which respondents reported on online orders and purchases in the last 12 months shows an increase, ie 46,3 percent of Internet users ordered / bought online in the last 12 months versus 40,1 percent compared to the same period last year.
As in previous years, most people bought clothes, including sports equipment, and unlike before, now Macedonians buy the most from domestic e-shops (84,4 percent).
There is a significant jump in the use of Internet services in e-banking. Unlike last year when only 15,2 percent of the population used e-banking services, during the year the number has doubled, ie 31,1 percent of the population uses the Internet for e-banking.
– What is noticeable as an impact of the pandemic is that as much as 84% of online orders were made to domestic e-merchants. In terms of changing habits, there is a doubling of the use of e-banking and an increase in the share of users who are increasingly seeking information about products and services online. However, as we almost always point out, this is not enough and we will continue to work with all stakeholders to continue the growth trend at an accelerated pace with the ultimate goal of moving away from the bottom of the rankings in comparative analysis with European countries, said the president of the Association. trade, Nina Angelovska.
Source: MIA
