In 2021, e-commerce is expecting another rise worldwide. According to eMarketer, the expected growth in online sales will be 14.3%. This means that 400 million new users will start using the Internet for shopping.
After its superb/phenomenal development in 2020, e-commerce continues to break records and Europe is no exception. The old continent welcomed the new year with expected growth of 26.3% in Western Europe and 29.1% in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). But at the same time, another big event will rearrange the cards. After Brexit, most of online retailers in the United Kingdom began looking for new ways to sell in the European Union and reduce the bureaucratic burden of exports. A commonly used strategy for e-shops is to transfer some of their products to warehouses in Europe, as well as to register a company in one of the Member countries of the Union. In this way, they gain access to a huge market with good purchasing power and great prospects for development.
This is the reason why in early March 2021 Balkan eCommerce joined IMRG – the United Kingdom’s Online Retail Association. Thus, the merger between Mediapost Hit Mail and InOut Trade became the first and so far, the only Bulgarian representative in the prestigious British organization. Balkan eCommerce can help all IMRG members to sell easier and to more people in Europe because of its experience in more than 10 markets in Europe and its unique network of warehouses, call centers, end-user delivery solutions and overall experience in digital marketing on international level.
On the other hand, joining the Association provides access to valuable market research, huge amount of content, important events and webinars dedicated to e-commerce, as well as a wide network of experienced online merchants and services not only on the territory of the Island. The business opportunities are endless, and the prospects for cooperation and exchange of experience between the Bulgarian association and the other members of IMRG bring only mutual benefits.
The first large-scale event in which Balkan eCommerce joined as a member of the Association was eCommerce Expo Virtual 2021. During perhaps the largest online forum in Europe dedicated to ecommerce, Hristo Radichev (manager of Mediapost Hit Mail) and Vichren Bisset (Commercial Director of InOut Trade) presented to the participants the opportunities for international expansion through the Balkan eCommerce platform. The topic of their presentation was “The New Fulfillment & Delivery Gateway to the EU: A Smarter Option”. In this way, about 150 registered participants learned about the huge capacity of perhaps the only network of its kind of more than 10 logistics centers and more than 20 courier companies in Europe.
On April 21-22 2021, the merger between Mediapost Hit Mail and InOut Trade will take the next step in its role as a member of the IMRG. Then the Virtual Delivery Summit 2021 will be held – another big event in the busy calendar of the Association. A representative of Balkan eCommerce will join a discussion panel to discuss the challenges that online retailers face when growing international, especially in regards to logistics and courier deliveries.
Of course, that’s not all. In the coming months, with the support of IMRG Balkan eCommerce is planning a series of international webinars in English, dedicated to topics that will excite any ambitious e-shop – fulfillment, marketing, courier deliveries, customer service and strategic planning. The program of the series will be announced very soon, and the preliminary announced interest is already more than impressive. In order not to miss this extremely valuable content, as well as to register for participation, don’t forget to follow the Balkan eCommerce website, as well as the Facebook and LinkedIn accounts!
