“Time for an eComme Coffee?” #1

BiH eCommerce in numbers: Where do we really stand?

Although digital commerce is growing unstoppably around the world, the market of Bosnia and Herzegovina still lags behind modern eCommerce trends. This was precisely one of the key topics of our first meetup "Trebal’ eComme kafa?" (Time for an eComme coffee?), where we openly discussed the real numbers, challenges, but also the opportunities that lie ahead for BiH merchants.

We're not even halfway there!

According to internal analyses conducted by the Agilitas team in cooperation with the eComm Association of BiH, fewer than 35% of domestic companies have a functional web shop. This figure reveals a deep structural unreadiness of a large number of businesses to even approach serious digital transformation.

Social networks are still the dominant sales channel – over 70% of transactions take place through communication on Instagram and Facebook. Although social networks are an important channel for visibility, relying exclusively on them carries numerous risks: from limited control over the sales process, through poorer analytics, to hindered business scaling.

Payment method – an indicator of digital immaturity

Perhaps the most alarming figure is that only 9% of users use cards as their primary online payment method, while nearly 90% of orders are still paid by cash on delivery. This reveals a deeply rooted distrust of consumers toward digital shopping – whether due to fear of fraud, poor delivery experiences, or simply a lack of education.

Additionally, the logistics infrastructure in BiH is fragmented and often unreliable. Delivery costs are high, delivery times extended, and customer support poorly organized. All of this has a direct impact on customer loyalty, which is key to the long-term success of any eCommerce brand.

Our webshops as a case study: MojBrend and FashionTeam

At Agilitas, we don't just deal with analyses and strategies – we also run our own eCommerce projects in parallel. That is exactly why we have insight into real customer habits.

Based on the MojBrend and FashionTeam webshops, we reached the following conclusions:

• 92% of traffic comes from mobile devices – which unequivocally confirms the importance of a mobile-first approach in the design and optimization of webshops.
• 49% of users return within three months, while 30% of them make three or more purchases, which indicates the potential for building loyalty when the customer experience is well set up.
• The average order value in the fashion segment is around 95 KM, which can serve as a starting point for calculating the profitability of advertising and customer acquisition.
  

Who are our customers?

Employed people aged 25 to 44, with incomes above 1,100 KM, who most often shop in the evening hours and via mobile phone. In other words, a targeted, digitally literate audience that expects efficiency, security and simplicity.

The profile of BiH merchants: Micro-enterprises and diverse software

The eComm community in BiH is predominantly made up of micro-enterprises – as many as 65% of online merchants have fewer than 10 employees. This is important because it indicates limited resources for development, education, logistics and marketing.

It is interesting that 68% of them use custom-made platforms, while only 32% rely on standardized solutions such as Shopify or WooCommerce. This raises the question of scalability and sustainability, because many merchants spend too many resources developing unoptimized solutions instead of investing in sales and marketing.

Three key points for progress

If we want eCommerce in BiH to move out of the survival phase and into a phase of development and scaling, we need to act on three fronts:

1. Merchants: Education, support and incentives for digitalization. From SEO strategy, through UX design, to process automation – small companies need concrete tools and knowledge.
2. Consumers: Building trust through payment security, a transparent return policy, good customer support and the overall shopping experience.
3. Institutions: Adopting legal frameworks that follow European standards, resolving the issue of fiscalization for online commerce, data security, consumer protection and infrastructure for digital transactions.
   

Join us at the "Trebal’ eComme kafa?" meetup

We will continue to discuss these topics at future gatherings within the "Trebal’ eComme kafa?" series. Our meetups are conceived as a place for exchanging knowledge, experiences and concrete advice from the world of e-commerce.

If you are an online merchant, freelancer, startup, agency, or simply want to enter the eCommerce world – join us and be part of a community building a better digital tomorrow for BiH.