November discounts bring little boost to physical stores

ISTANBUL

Türkiye’s highly anticipated November discount season delivered strong results for e-commerce platforms but failed to generate the same momentum in physical stores, marking a notable shift in consumer behavior.

Despite month-long promotions that retailers hoped would boost foot traffic, shoppers overwhelmingly chose to buy online, according to sector reports and industry surveys.

The latest survey by the United Brands Association (BMD) revealed that 41 percent of member brands did not see any increase in in-store sales during November.

BMD President Sinan Öncel stated that the industry faced a significantly different picture compared to previous years, noting that even deep and widespread discounts were insufficient to improve store performance.

Öncel explained that while cooler weather and early promotions had driven a strong rise in both sales volume and turnover in October, November did not meet expectations. “In apparel and footwear, November was among the three months with the lowest transaction volume in 2025. Despite the heavy discounting, turnover growth remained far below inflation, and 41 percent of our members were unable to increase unit sales,” he said.

While brick-and-mortar stores experienced a muted season, online marketplaces reported record-breaking activity.

Platforms offered discounts ranging from 10 percent to 60 percent across categories throughout the month, keeping consumers continuously engaged.

At the start of November, e-commerce representatives had forecast 500 billion Turkish Liras in total turnover for the month. Although official figures have yet to be released, Electronic Commerce Operators Association (ETİD) Chairman Hakan Çevikoğlu said he believes the sector exceeded the 500 billion lira target.

BMD’s November sales report further highlighted the contrast between channels. In categories such as apparel, footwear, health, cosmetics and food services, card spending dropped from 410 billion liras in October to 333 billion liras in November, while the number of transactions fell from 452.6 million to 363 million. This corresponds to an 18.8 percent decline in turnover and a 19.8 percent drop in transaction volume month on month.

The report concluded that consumers, despite high discount rates, are increasingly cutting back on all non-essential spending outside food, education and rent.

E-commerce giants also shared their own performance data following the campaign period. Trendyol announced that sellers on its platform delivered 140 million products to customers in Türkiye and abroad during November, with the site receiving more than 2 billion visits.

Hepsiburada reported a 16 percent increase in orders compared with last year’s campaign and said it sold 532 products per minute at peak times. Electronics, smartphones, small home appliances, sweatshirts and sports shoes were among the top performing categories across platforms.