Skopje, North Macedonia, hosted the 9th Regional E-commerce Conference on November 3, 2026, at the National Opera and Ballet. The event, organized by the Macedonian E-commerce Association (AETM), gathered over 900 participants from more than 12 countries to discuss "E-commerce at AI Speed!" Despite high smartphone penetration, exceeding 90%, and a strong pool of ICT graduates, the Western Balkans faces a significant "fintech gap." This gap is characterized by the functional limitations of global platforms like PayPal and the absence of services such as Stripe.
Od čekanja do akcije: e-trgovina brzinom AI
, Motto 9. regionalne konferencije o elektronskoj trgovini u Skoplju
The conference aimed to bridge these disparities, focusing on practical AI applications and the evolution of digital payments.
Experts from Amazon, Google DeepMind, Visa, Tesla, and LinkedIn shared insights on generative AI and AI agents, emphasizing their practical applications in marketing, sales, logistics, and customer experience. However, the region struggles with a substantial digital skill gap.
In 2025, only 30.9% of internet users in North Macedonia possessed basic or above-basic digital skills. This educational deficit, combined with a reliance on cash payments, highlights the need for practical, operator-focused solutions.
Digital payments were a central theme, addressing the rapid decline of cash-on-delivery, which still accounts for over half of orders for 68.2% of online stores in North Macedonia. Discussions highlighted the rise of digital wallets and the importance of payment-method localization, such as Diners Macedonia and CaSys, tailored to small, fragmented regional markets.
While 84.3% of adults in North Macedonia hold a financial account, this does not consistently translate into digital transaction usage. The absence of global services like Stripe and the functional limitations of PayPal illustrate the "fintech gap," presenting a significant untapped opportunity for innovation and investment.
Modernizing payment systems is deemed vital for lowering costs, enhancing safety, and fostering regional and international integration, with alignment to EU legislation being a key factor for success in Southeast European countries.
While consumer e-commerce often dominates headlines, the conference also shed light on the robust growth of the B2B segment. North Macedonia's B2B e-commerce is projected to grow at a remarkable 42.1% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) through 2031. This acceleration is driven by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) increasingly migrating their procurement online, supported by dedicated digitalization funding.
This rapid B2B expansion represents a significant economic shift, crucial for the region's overall digital transformation and economic convergence.
The conference's design as a "working operator event" for online retail businesses underscores its commitment to practical, actionable strategies. This approach is vital for addressing challenges like complex customs procedures and inconsistent taxation that hinder cross-border trade.
Furthermore, low digital literacy contributes to the purchase of cheap counterfeit goods online, highlighting the need for increased consumer education alongside technological advancements. By fostering knowledge exchange and regional collaboration among over 900 participants from more than 12 countries, the Skopje conference serves as a critical platform for navigating these complexities and unlocking the Western Balkans' considerable untapped e-commerce potential.
