I am sure that even during the war, entrepreneurs should not be afraid to try. In my arsenal there’s the equipment that the Armed Forces and Terrirorial Defense now need: video surveillance systems, alarms, and so on. To help our army, I offer discounts and some equipment for free. During the war, the number of orders in our company decreased by about 40%. However, OLX consistently brings us a third of the orders.

Initially, Arvisa specialized in sewing outerwear. In 2014, we added sleeping bags to the range. 80% of the products in stock were given to the Ukrainian Armed Forces free of charge. We place about 100 ads on OLX every month. Now their number has decreased to 50. However, according to our observations, the share of sales we receive from the site has almost doubled in the last month compared to pre-war times.

The demand for small electronics is so great that we have the number of sales at the level of the high pre-war season. The decision to return to work was made thanks to customer appeals – people called en masse, wrote, asked about certain goods. Part of our range was relevant for volunteers and the military: they need flashlights, power banks, tablets, quadcopters. Before the war, OLX brought me 30-35% of sales, now – an average of 20%.

Demand for goods in online stores will grow: more and more customers understand that shopping online is convenient and fast. We currently act as suppliers to partners in the eastern and central regions of Ukraine: they place orders with us, and we send goods to their customers. 60% of our range is products for children. OLX is one of our main channels for finding customers, it brings 40-50% of sales.

If it is difficult for sellers to focus on business development now, it is important to at least work at a pre-war pace. Before the war, OLX brought us up to 60% of sales. It’s about 50% now, but that’s because we recently hired a new manager to trade on the platform. The employee is still adapting to the processes. So we expect that the percentage of orders will increase again soon.

Our store has been operating for 6 years. We have one of the largest assortments among Odessa sellers – we offer customers both new and used bicycles. Another area of sales – martial arts products, such as kimonos, belts, gloves and more. In general, the war changed the focus from business development to its maintenance – but this is not an obstacle to sales. We publish up to 100 ads for sporting goods and 100-150 for bicycles every month on OLX, depending on the season.