E-commerce giant helps 1.1M job creation in Turkey

By Tuba Sahin

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey's e-commerce giant Trendyol contributed to the creation and retention of 1.1 million employment in the country last year.

"After joining Trendyol, 90% of sellers increased their turnover and 82% hired more employees as they upscaled their businesses in 2020," according to a statement from the company on Wednesday.

Company CEO Demet Mutlu said 98,000 businesses and 1.1 million individuals sold 374 million products on Trendyol, citing the study titled "Trendyol's impact on the Turkish economy" conducted by the independent research organization PAL.

"By digitalizing the commercial activities of SMEs and local merchants, Trendyol helps them grow their business and expand their customer reach," Mutlu noted.

Trendyol is credited by 77% of sellers for helping their businesses minimize the economic impact of COVID-19, it said.

The company helped the creation and retention of 360,000 direct and 708,000 indirect employment, the study found.

"Trendyol's impact on employment is expected to reach 2.4 million jobs by 2023," it said.

Pointing to the female-headed businesses, Mutlu said during the pandemic, 17,000 women entrepreneurs started selling on the company's platform.

"25% of all our sellers are female-led companies and it is a significant achievement for Trendyol given that only 10% of employers in Turkey are women,” she underlined.

The company saw a significant rise in the number of customers as coronavirus spurred sales on online platforms.

"Last year, 19.3 million active customers made at least a purchase on Trendyol platforms, up from 9.2 million in 2019," it said.