E-commerce in North Macedonia

E-commerce

E-commerce market

E-commerce is growing in North Macedonia but is still relatively low, both in terms of local merchants selling and consumers shopping online. According to Statista, 5% of enterprises in North Macedonia made B2C e-commerce sales through a website in 2016. According to UNCTAD reports, 19.3% of internet users ordered online in 2016, out of which 40.8% of orders were made from local companies, 20.7% of them from the EU and 58.6% from the rest of the world. In 2016, consumers spent US$ 95 million on online purchases of clothing and sports equipment (55%), electronic equipment (16.3%), and household goods (13.1%). However, several barriers to e-commerce persist: lack of purchasing power, underdeveloped financial systems and a legal and regulatory framework that is not fully up to date. Moreover, many local consumers have poor ITC literacy and lack knowledge of e-commerce. North Macedonia's payment systems are outdated, especially when it comes to mobile commerce. Online transactions originating in North Macedonia have been blocked or restricted by several major e-commerce sites, including Amazon and e-Bay, which halts cross border commerce. Some of the most popular domestic e-commerce websites are grouper.mk, anhoch.com and setec.mk, while the most popular foreign e-commerce website is AliExpress.