North Macedonia is experiencing a substantial surge in e-commerce, with a 25% increase in the total value of transactions made to online stores by its citizens, both domestically and internationally, to €550.2mn, the head of the Association for E-Commerce of Macedonia (AETM) said on November 14, as reported by news agency MIA.

This significant growth was followed by a 18.5% rise in the first half of this year compared to the same period in 2022.

These statistics were brought to light at the Sixth Conference on E-Commerce, organised by the AETM in Skopje.

The conference, with the theme "Redefining E-Commerce with Artificial Intelligence", shed light on the evolving trends in the digital commerce landscape.

The growing trend of expanding the number of devices accepting payment cards at virtual points of sale remains evident, with the count reaching 1,939 online points of sale in June 2023, AETM president Nina Angelovska said.

Angelovska highlighted the interconnected nature of e-commerce growth, pointing to various factors within the e-commerce chain.

She noted a weakness identified in the international deliveries, a challenge echoed in last year's research on geoblocking in CEFTA markets.

Geoblocking persists in e-commerce within these markets, primarily due to costly delivery and customs duties, Angelovska said and emphasised that addressing these challenges forms the foundation for developing initiatives and actionable recommendations.