Čedo Velašević is Country Manager at Dognet for Croatia, Slovenia and Serbia and co-founder of the eCommerce Association of Montenegro. He is an eCommerce and affiliate marketing expert with a strong background in learning and development who helps brands grow through strategic partnerships and community-driven initiatives.
As a brand ambassador for the Balkan eCommerce Summit 2025, Čedo champions education, collaboration, and sustainable digital growth across the region. In this interview, he shares insights on building trust in affiliate marketing, bridging knowledge gaps, and unlocking the Balkans’ e-commerce potential.
What impact do you believe events like the Balkan eCommerce Summit 2025 have on strengthening the regional eCommerce community – and what motivated you personally to step into the role of brand ambassador for this initiative?
I think events like the Balkan eCommerce Summit 2025 are game-changers for our region. The Balkan markets are growing fast, but we often work in our own little bubbles. Summits like this bring everyone together – brands, agencies, platforms, and experts – and that’s what the region needs.This summit is a rare opportunity where EU and non-EU e-commerce players come together. We get to share ideas, swap real-world know-how, and open doors for growth on both sides. And at the end of the day, it’s all about building strong relationships that move the region forward.
I’ve been lucky to work across Croatia, Slovenia, and Serbia with the Dognet affiliate network, and I see every day how much potential there is when people connect and collaborate. Being part of something that’s pushing the whole industry to level up felt like a no-brainer. On top of that, as one of the co-founders of the eCommerce Association of Montenegro, I’m very interested in this event and excited to see how we can move the needle. Helping the regional eCommerce scene grow, this felt like the perfect way to get even more involved.
What challenges did you face building affiliate marketing across Croatia, Slovenia, and Serbia?
Dognet is an independent affiliate network and one of the leading ones in the CEE region, working with over 1,000 clients, but even for us, entering new markets wasn’t easy.
The biggest challenge was definitely education – both for publishers and advertisers. We had to explain how affiliate marketing actually works and why it’s worth putting time and money into. In countries like Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, affiliate marketing was still pretty new, and trust wasn’t something you could build overnight. It took a lot of time, patience, and real results to show brands that this isn’t just a quick win, but a serious channel for long-term growth.
Today, things look completely different. More brands understand the value of affiliate marketing, the ecosystem is growing fast, and we’re really proud that Dognet has become the leading affiliate network trusted by so many big local names.
Where do you see the biggest gaps in eCommerce development across the Balkan area? Are there any underrated opportunities?
Cash on delivery, logistics, and last-mile delivery are still the biggest gaps in eCommerce development across the Balkans. Plus, the region faces a major challenge: not all countries are part of the EU common market. This makes cross-border expansion especially difficult for non-EU countries. However, initiatives like the CEFTA agreement are helping to break down barriers and create more opportunities for growth across non-EU markets.
At the moment, one of the biggest opportunities is selling through marketplaces. Many local eCommerce players still focus only on their own webshops, but regional and even niche marketplaces are growing fast. Being present where the customers already are can make a huge difference, especially for smaller brands.
As mentioned, cross-border e-commerce between Balkan countries is still underestimated. Many businesses think expansion means going straight to Germany or Austria, but there’s huge buying power right next door – in neighboring countries – if logistics and payment options are handled smartly.
In the next few years, I believe we’ll see much stronger regional integration, faster cross-border logistics, and more local brands expanding beyond their home markets – especially as agreements like CEFTA become more efficient and digitalization speeds up the whole process.
What are the biggest misconceptions about affiliate marketing you’ve come across? Can you share a real-life example where affiliate marketing significantly boosted an online business?
The biggest misconception is that affiliate marketing is quick and easy. In reality, it takes time to build strong partnerships. Some players didn’t realize that affiliates rely on building real relationships – you have to invest time into education, communication, and trust, and the results will follow.
A great example from the Balkans can be Shoppster. As one of the region’s e-commerce leaders, they quickly recognized the value of affiliate marketing for acquiring new users. In the first year of the campaign, we successfully onboarded content publishers from local markets and achieved excellent results: all newly registered users made their first purchase through affiliate channels.
With the rise of AI tools in performance marketin – like predictive analytics, dynamic creatives, and automated campaign optimization – how do you see AI reshaping the affiliate marketing landscape?
AI is definitely changing affiliate marketing, and it’s happening fast. Predictive analytics, for example, helps us understand what customers are looking for and when they’re most likely to buy. Dynamic creatives make it possible to show highly personalized offers, which naturally leads to better results because people see things that actually matter to them.
Behind the scenes, AI is making a huge impact too. Campaign optimization, which used to take a lot of manual testing and adjustments, is becoming much more automated. AI can now optimize campaigns in real time, saving a lot of time and resources.
Looking ahead, I think affiliate marketing will only get smarter. Brands and networks will use AI to better match affiliates with campaigns, predict performance more accurately, and detect fraud quicker.
But even with all that technology, the human part is still absolutely critical. Building real relationships, trust, and creating authentic content is what makes affiliate marketing work long term. At Dognet, we’re very aware of that. Even as we bring in new tech and tools, we make sure the human side stays at the core of what we do – real support, real communication, and real partnerships. That’s something we believe technology can help with, but never fully replace.
If eCommerce success was a 3-ingredient recipe, what would your key ingredients be – and why?
If I had to pick just three ingredients for eCommerce success, I’d go with trust, a great customer experience, and being consistent.
First, trust is huge. If people don’t trust your brand – your site, your delivery, your promises – they’re not going to buy. It doesn’t matter how good your products are if the trust isn’t there.
Second, customer experience. It’s more than just having a nice website. It’s the whole journey – how easy it is to find what they need, how fast they get support if something goes wrong, how smooth the checkout is. People love simple solutions for their purchases.
And the third one is consistency. A lot of businesses do a few things right once and think they’ve made it. But in reality, you have to show up every single day, deliver the same quality, and keep improving. Consistency builds reputation – and reputation is everything in eCommerce.
That’s my mix. Without these three, it’s really hard to grow and stay successful in the long run.
Čedo Velašević’s commitment to education, trust, and cross-border collaboration highlights the human side of affiliate marketing and digital growth. His work across the Balkans shows that sustainable eCommerce isn’t just about technology – it’s about empowering people, building communities, and sharing knowledge that drives real impact.
📅 Don’t miss the chance to learn from leaders like Čedo Velašević at the Balkan eCommerce Summit 2025. Visit balkanecommerce.com to secure your ticket!