E-commerce in Moldova

E-commerce

E-commerce market

E-commerce is still in its early stages in Moldova, with only a few merchants in the market and a small portion of Moldovans shopping online. Nevertheless, growing use of the internet, credit cards, PayPal and online banking is favouring e-commerce development. Given the size of the market, there is still no official data on e-commerce revenue. It is estimated that mobile commerce will become a supplement to the e-commerce industry thanks to the growing rates of mobile penetration and widespread use of smartphones in the country. There is a big potential for B2B e-commerce as many online stores may be used by small businesses to purchase products for reselling. According to a statement delivered by the government, the development of the ICT sector and trade facilitation are main priorities on the economic development plan. It intends to facilitate customs procedures, integrate technology in the supply-management chain and eliminate the barriers faced by trade and e-commerce. It means that all implemented trade facilitation reforms should have a component aimed at  the development of e-commerce and the facilitation of cross-border e-commerce transactions. Some of the most popular websites are AliExpress, Amazon, ASOS, ebay, Rozetka and Zap. Electronics retailers were among the first to set up online stores. Unlike traditional retail business, there are fewer trade entry barriers in this sector. China-based as well as US-based e-commerce websites for online purchases of primarily consumer electronics are very popular among Moldovans. Footwear and clothing are mostly purchased from France and the United Kingdom. Domestic e-commerce websites rarely accept electronic payment methods, so purchases are paid by cash on delivery or wire transfers. Regarding the e-commerce services there are a few domestic e-commerce aggregator‎s that compare prices on products sold online (All Prices), digitise sales of tickets (iTicket), deliver restaurant food (Straus) and help deliver products purchased online from a wide range of international retailers to Moldova (Fullship, Pesoto).