The eCommerce Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina is working tirelessly to create an environment where online businesses can thrive, consumers can shop with confidence, and the digital economy can flourish. In the heart of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a select group of eCommerce professionals, pioneers, and industry experts are joining forces with dedicated individuals and businesses to revolutionize the eCommerce landscape in the region.
Ensuring Trust: Benefits of Introducing a Trust Mark
As of this year, the Association provides a service of certifying web shops with Trust Mark. In the broader context, this initiative holds immense importance as it enhances consumer confidence, fosters a secure online environment, and promotes ethical business practices. The Trust Mark serves as a badge of credibility, assuring consumers that the businesses they engage with meet stringent standards of quality, reliability, and transparency. By building trust between buyers and sellers, the trust mark has the potential of driving sales, encouraging customer loyalty, and attracting new online shoppers. All web shops that obtain Trust Mark go through a rigid audit of their web shops and their internal policies. The process of auditing is repeated on a yearly basis.
Regional Collaborations for Impact
Recognizing the power of collective action, the Association actively engages in regional projects with other eCommerce Associations (region of South East Europe). By pooling resources and expertise, we address common challenges, share best practices, and explore opportunities for cross-border cooperation. Aside from exchanging knowledge through our annual eCommerce conferences and other informative events, this collaboration brought us together on creating a regional platform for eCommerce - ecommerce4all.eu. It serves as a resource and information center on key eCommerce aspects for all CEFTA markets (North Macedonia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, and Moldova). The web platform consists of relevant eCommerce data and resources, including basic eCommerce data, interactive graphs, and data on CEFTA eCommerce market development. The platform is supported by the Open Regional Fund for South – East Europe – Foreign Trade project, implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
Collaborative Efforts: Legislation Advancements for eCommerce
One of the Association's primary focuses is advocating for favorable eCommerce legislation. With the growth of eCommerce market, it's crucial to ensure that the legal framework supports development while safeguarding consumer rights. We collaborate with policymakers, law experts, and stakeholders to draft, and push the implementation of regulations that foster a fair and legal ecommerce ecosystem. On our regional platform, we have gathered all the documentation that serves as an overview of current laws and legislations in BiH: https://ecommerce4all.ba/en/module/regulation/laws/. The European Commission's new law on price transparency is causing a shift in how retailers approach pricing strategies, and this event served as a catalyst for similar transformations within the Bosnian eCommerce landscape. The association intends to actively participate in the public discussions following the legally stipulated period.
Unveiling the Data: Insights from Web Shops and Consumer Perspectives in BiH
Analyzing the experiences of web shops and the perspectives of consumers are key elements in the development of the eCommerce market in BiH. Earlier this year, we exclusively presented the results of our research, the first comprehensive research on the eCommerce market in BiH. We conducted research on a sample of 1,317 respondents from BiH. About three-quarters of our respondents made up to five online purchases in the last three months. Three-quarters of the respondents say that online purchases constitute about 10 percent of their total monthly shopping. About 83 percent of our respondents buy goods through web shops, while 17 percent use social commerce platforms. Three-quarters of the respondents make purchases through mobile phones, and 20 percent of the respondents have a dedicated card or account they use for online payments. Only 17 percent of our sellers are satisfied with the existing regulations.Currently we are a part of the second annual international eCommerce survey, which now also includes the market of BiH for the first time, together with Mediapost Hit Mail, a subsidiary of La Poste in Bulgaria. Participation in this research brings numerous benefits to business entities, offering invaluable insights into the latest industry trends, challenges, and market-specific opportunities within the CEE region.
Our unique position serves as a driving force behind the positive transformation of the online business landscape. Through the efforts involved in advocacy, helping shape legislation, fostering regional collaboration, conducting research, and introducing services such as Trust Mark certification of web shops – our Association is setting the stage for a vibrant and thriving eCommerce ecosystem.
Want to collaborate with us? E-mail us at contact@e-comm.ba.