Maher Tarazi, CEO of Altexpress, focuses on the operational reality behind growth: once an eCommerce brand expands from one country to several, complexity multiplies faster than revenue. Delivery standards, return rates, COD dynamics, and courier reliability can change dramatically market to market, and without tight control, margins and customer trust disappear quickly.
In this interview, Maher explains why logistics is not just a cost center, but the physical proof of your brand promise. They also break down how cash-on-delivery markets change your operational strategy, why regional collaboration matters for cross-border standards, and which early operational discipline creates long-term strategic freedom.
From your experience, what is the most underestimated logistics challenge eCommerce brands face as they start to scale across the region?
The most underestimated challenge is operational complexity multiplying faster than revenue.
When brands expand from one country to several, they assume growth is linear: more orders, more parcels, more marketing. But what actually grows is variability:
- Different return rates per country
- Different delivery standards
- Different customer behaviors
- Different COD dynamics
- Different courier reliability
What breaks first is not demand, it’s control. Inventory ends up in the wrong place. Cash flow becomes unpredictable. Stock accuracy declines and returns eat your margin. Scaling regionally is not about shipping more. It’s about controlling complexity across multiple systems. That’s where most brands struggle.
Many merchants see logistics as a cost center rather than a growth lever. What mindset shift is needed to turn fulfillment into a competitive advantage?
The shift is simple:
Stop optimizing for the lowest cost per shipment.
Start optimizing for the highest customer lifetime value.
Fulfillment centers are optimized for a better delivery performance that results in better customer satisfaction.
Fulfillment directly impacts:
- Conversion rate
- Repeat purchase rate
- Brand trust
- Refund rate
- Cash flow stability
In markets like the Balkans, trust is everything. If delivery is reliable, communication is clear, returns are smooth, and COD is handled professionally, then customers will buy again. Logistics is not the backend. It is the physical proof of your brand promise.
When fulfillment is structured, measurable, and integrated with data it becomes a growth engine, not an expense.
Cash on delivery is still highly relevant in parts of the Balkans. How does this shape operational strategy compared to more mature eCommerce markets?
In COD-driven markets, speed is not a luxury, it is a conversion strategy.
In more mature eCommerce markets, payment happens before shipping. The transaction is secured. Delivery speed improves experience, but it does not determine whether the sale survives.
In the Balkans, it’s different. When a customer orders with Cash on Delivery, the decision is not fully closed. It’s conditional. There is a psychological window between placing the order and receiving it. If delivery takes 2–3 days, sometimes even longer, several things can happen:
- The customer changes their mind.
- They reconsider the purchase.
- They spend the money elsewhere.
- They simply lose the emotional impulse that triggered the order.
And when the courier arrives, they reject the parcel. This is why fulfillment centers are not just operational facilities in COD markets, they are conversion accelerators.
When inventory is stored closer to the customer:
- Orders can ship the same day.
- Delivery can happen the next day.
- The emotional buying impulse remains strong.
Faster delivery reduces the “regret window.” And when you reduce that window:
- Return rates drop.
- Acceptance rates increase.
- Cash flow stabilizes.
- Conversion rates improve.
In COD markets, every extra day increases risk. So operational strategy must prioritize:
- Local inventory positioning
- Same-day processing
- Early cutoff times
- Strong courier partnerships
- Real-time dispatch control
Speed is not about convenience here. It’s about protecting revenue. That’s why fulfillment infrastructure becomes essential in the Balkans.
As a Brand Ambassador of the Balkan eCommerce Summit, why do you believe regional collaboration is critical for improving cross-border logistics and delivery standards?
The Balkans are full of potential, but also fragmentation.
Different regulations.
Different infrastructure maturity.
Different courier ecosystems.
If each country optimizes in isolation, cross-border scaling remains expensive and unpredictable. Regional collaboration allows us to:
Share operational standards
Improve courier interoperability
Align service-level expectations
Strengthen cross-border infrastructure
Reduce friction for expanding brands
If we treat the Balkans as one connected eCommerce ecosystem rather than separate markets, we unlock real scale. Events like the Balkan eCommerce Summit are important because they connect operators, founders, and logistics partners around shared growth, not just local competition.
If eCommerce founders could fix just one operational mistake early on, what would have the biggest long-term impact on their business?
Implement structured inventory control from day one.
Most startups focus on sales first and organize operations later.
But without accurate stock:
- You oversell
- You stock out
- You miscalculate margin
- You distort forecasting
- You damage customer trust
Inventory accuracy is the foundation of scale. If stock is clean and visible in real time, everything becomes predictable:
- Marketing decisions improve.
- Cash flow improves.
- Expansion becomes safer.
- If inventory is chaotic, growth only multiplies problems.
- Operational discipline early creates strategic freedom later.
Meet Maher at Balkan eCommerce Summit 2026
If you are expanding across the Balkans and want to protect margins while improving customer trust in COD and cross-border markets, connect with Maher on-site.
🎟️ Grab your ticket at balkanecommerce.com and be part of building stronger connections across the Balkans.