Digikala's annual report through the lens of cultural and creative industries

Digikala is a digital window onto the Iranian consumer. This company alone holds a 50 percent share of the country's entire e-commerce market—equivalent to 104 thousand other online stores. Digikala's annual report, as one of Iran's leading e-commerce companies, presents valuable data and information on consumer habits and behavior. The report contains data on the most popular product categories, brands, consumer perceptions, and more, which can provide useful insight for individuals and various sectors. With this approach, this note examines Digikala's 1401 (2022/23) annual report. The sections related to the cultural and creative industries in this report are analyzed.

Online purchasing of cultural and creative industries products

Results of Digikala's national survey show that among the 10 products people are most willing to buy online, five products and goods related to the cultural and creative industries are present. Online clothing purchases top the list of goods respondents said they were willing to buy from various online stores. Purchasing beauty and health products, a category that also includes perfume and cologne, was respondents' second choice. Online purchasing of books and stationery ranks third. Online purchasing of toys and children's products, and of local and indigenous products, are in eighth and tenth place, respectively. Willingness to buy these products by gender also shows that women are more willing than men to buy clothing and apparel, cosmetics and toiletries, books and stationery, and toys and children's products online. Their willingness to buy local and indigenous products online is the same as men's.

Cultural and creative industries products' 30 percent share of the most-searched goods

Many people search for the goods they want on Digikala before making an online or in-person purchase. Examining these searches is valuable for understanding audience needs and the market. On this basis, the 10 goods with the most searches each month have been identified in this report.

Among them, in various months, cultural industries products including books, notebooks, gifts, game consoles, backpacks, VR headsets, bags, and pencil cases are also present. In fact, creative industries categories accounted for a 30 percent share of Digikala's most-searched goods in 1401 (2022/23). For example, books ranked sixth, tenth, fifth, and eighth among Digikala's best-selling products in 1401 (2022/23) in Farvardin (March–April), Ordibehesht (April–May), Khordad (May–June), and Tir (June–July), respectively.

Handicrafts sales on Digikala

Given the importance and capacity of local and indigenous businesses in preserving and boosting handicrafts and national industries, Digikala has a special program to create a space for their supply and sale. So far, 6,765 local and indigenous sellers have been able to offer 78 thousand of their unique products on Digikala without intermediaries. Sales commission discounts, introductory online selling training, free advertising capacity, and free warehouse capacity have been part of Digikala's support schemes for home-based businesses.

In line with sales of cultural and creative industries products, in 1401 (2022/23) Digikala, in cooperation with the Aranik handicrafts group, also built a high-capacity kiln for producing Kohmitag pottery in Sistan and Baluchestan province. This was so that, in addition to preserving Kohmitag pottery, a sustainable income would also be created for the potters of this region through pottery sales on Digikala.

Brand sales on Digikala

A look at Digikala's best-selling brands from both unit-volume and rial-value perspectives indicates the presence of brands related to cultural and creative industries products. Based on the list of Digikala's 10 best-selling brands by unit volume, four brands—My, Bioaqua, Schon, and Tafteh—are in the beauty and health product category. Perfume, cologne, and cosmetic products fall in the beauty and health product category.

Among the 10 best-selling brands from Digikala's top Iranian brands by rial value, Mostajabi Gold in the gold and jewelry product category ranks fifth. Parsis in the gold and silver bullion and plaque product category ranks ninth.

An examination of the 10 best-selling Iranian supermarket brands by unit volume and rial value also shows that brands with products related to the cultural and creative industries—specifically the health and beauty product category—are present among them as well.

The Digikala brand: reputable and popular

Marks, as a subset of intellectual property, are one of the categories of the cultural and creative industries. Citing a study conducted by ISPA in Bahman (January–February) 1401 (2022/23), this report presents the results of people's attitudes and feelings toward the Digikala brand (mark). On this basis, 81.1 percent of respondents had heard the name Digikala and knew it. 62.7 percent considered the Digikala brand a reputable and well-regarded name (also  31.9 percent considered it ordinary and 5.4 percent considered it not reputable). Also, 61.2 percent of them had a good or very good feeling toward the Digikala online store (also 33 percent were indifferent and 5.8 percent had a bad or very bad feeling).

Online purchasing of books and stationery: a fixture of Digikala campaigns

In 1401 (2022/23), Digikala held four campaigns, two of which were tied to various cultural and creative industries products. In the One Book, a Thousand Smiles campaign, 3,800 non-textbook book titles were provided by the Mehr Giti Institute and Digikala for schools in underserved areas.

Digikala and the Koodak Foundation also, in the Stars Are Sitting Behind the Desk campaign, with the participation of 1,195 people, supplied 5,114 items from the stationery category for talented children from underserved backgrounds in deprived areas.

Conclusion

Digikala's annual report, as a leading Iranian e-commerce company, provides valuable data on consumer habits. One of the important findings of this report is consumers' strong willingness to buy cultural and creative industries products online, including clothing and apparel, cosmetics and toiletries, books and stationery, toys, and local and indigenous products.

An examination of people's searches on Digikala shows that various cultural and creative industries products, including books, notebooks, gifts, game consoles, and so on, were among the most-searched products in 1401 (2022/23). These products accounted for 30 percent of Digikala's most-searched goods.

Given the importance of preserving and boosting handicrafts and national industries, Digikala has also created special programs for selling the goods of this category of local and indigenous producers.

A look at brands and marks also shows that, first, the Digikala brand is a reputable and popular mark among the public. Second, brands and products related to the cultural and creative industries are on Digikala's list of best-selling brands.

Therefore, according to Digikala's 1401 (2022/23) annual statistics, cultural and creative industries products appear to be important goods in the Digikala online store. Digikala also  plays an important role in promoting online purchasing of cultural and creative industries products. To access the full text of the Digikala 1401 (2022/23) annual report, you can visit the Namafar knowledge base.