E-commerce in Albania: Market Transformation, Last-Mile Challenges, and Operational Solutions

At Balkan eCommerce Summit 2026, Erandi Sula presented a practical overview of Albania’s rapidly evolving eCommerce landscape, focusing on how international marketplaces transformed local shopping behavior, the operational realities of last-mile delivery, and the infrastructure challenges that still shape the market. Drawing from Ultra C.E.P.’s courier and fulfillment operations across Albania and neighboring Balkan markets, the session explored both the opportunities and limitations for businesses entering the country. 

Albania’s eCommerce Market Changed Dramatically in 2025

The presentation opened with one of the biggest developments in Albanian eCommerce:

the rapid shift from domestic to international shopping.

According to Sula, the arrival of large international marketplaces, particularly Temu, fundamentally changed consumer behavior in Albania. Previously, cross-border shopping was limited by:

• long delivery times
• expensive international shipping
• and customs complexity. 

However, once consumers gained access to:

• cheaper products
• faster delivery
• and simplified international ordering,
  shopping habits changed almost immediately.

The results were significant:

• total parcel volumes grew by 381% year-over-year
• domestic parcel growth remained relatively stable at around 6%
• while international parcel volumes surged dramatically. 

International commerce expanded from:

• 13% market share
  to
• 41% within a single year.

Temu Accelerated Consumer Behavior Shift

A central theme of the presentation was Temu’s disruptive effect on the Albanian market.

Sula described how Temu succeeded by prioritizing:

• low pricing
• and fast delivery.

He summarized the logistics trade-off simply:

cheap, fast, and good – businesses can usually choose only two.

Temu focused on:

• fast
• and cheap,
  which proved highly attractive for Albanian consumers. 

This created a major shift in purchasing behavior, particularly among customers who had traditionally relied on:

• local websites
• Instagram commerce
• and social selling.

Product Demand Is Changing

The market transformation also changed:

what people buy.

While Albania traditionally sees strong demand in:

• fashion
• sports
• and seasonal products,

international marketplaces altered category dynamics.

One of the biggest surprises was:

home products.

Home-related purchases grew from:

• 5%
  to
• 18%
  of international parcel categories. 

Sula explained that:

• women were among the most active buyers in this category
• attracted by lower prices
• and favorable customs treatment compared with some domestic categories.

Social Commerce Is Giving Way to Marketplace Apps

Another major change involved:

purchasing channels.

Albanian consumers historically purchased heavily through:

• Instagram
• Facebook
• and informal social commerce.

But behavior is now moving toward:

• marketplace apps
• mobile commerce
• and dedicated shopping platforms such as Temu and AliExpress. 

This reflects a broader regional shift:

• from conversational commerce
• toward app-driven shopping ecosystems.

Cash on Delivery Still Dominates

Despite international growth, one major challenge remains:

payment trust.

Sula explained that:
over 90% of domestic eCommerce transactions in Albania still rely on:

• cash on delivery (COD). 

Interestingly, international orders behave differently.

Cross-border purchases are:

• primarily prepaid
• using cards or digital payment methods.

This highlights a key insight:

Albanian consumers often possess payment cards but do not automatically trust local online merchants enough to use them.

Trust therefore remains a critical factor in payment adoption.

Last-Mile Logistics Remain Complex

The session also addressed Albania’s operational delivery challenges.

Several issues continue to complicate last-mile fulfillment:

Addressing infrastructure

Many addresses remain:

• outdated
• incomplete
• or inconsistently structured. 

Rural and remote delivery

Drivers often travel long distances to:

• villages
• remote areas
• and dispersed residential locations.

Returns management

Sula described returns as:

one of the hardest logistics problems in Albania today.

Reverse logistics from:

• customer
  to
• merchant
  remain operationally difficult.

B2C Delivery Is More Difficult Than B2B

A particularly interesting operational insight concerned:

address behavior.

While B2B deliveries are relatively straightforward, B2C delivery creates much greater complexity.

Consumers often provide:

• multiple delivery addresses
• home locations
• work addresses
• or even cafés and temporary meeting places. 

This creates operational unpredictability and increases delivery costs.

PUDO Points Became the Practical Alternative

To address these limitations, Ultra C.E.P. developed:

PUDO (Pick-Up and Drop-Off) networks.

Rather than deploying parcel lockers immediately, the company built:

• partner collection locations
• city pick-up points
• and extended-hour delivery access.

These PUDO locations:

• operate from morning until evening
• reduce failed delivery attempts
• and provide customers with greater flexibility. 

Sula positioned this as:

a practical Balkan adaptation

to markets where locker infrastructure is not yet fully developed.

Customs and Automation Became Essential

Another major operational evolution involved:

customs clearance.

Initially handled manually, customs processing evolved toward:

• automated customs systems
• VAT calculation tools
• and faster processing mechanisms. 

This became increasingly important because Albania applies:

• a €22 threshold
  below which:
• VAT
• and customs duties
  are not charged.

This threshold strongly influenced buying behavior and even parcel structure, as consumers and sellers often split purchases into separate shipments to remain under the limit.

Albania Represents an Emerging Opportunity

Despite operational complexity, Sula presented Albania as:

a high-potential early-stage market.

Several factors support this view:

• no dominant local marketplace exists
• internet penetration exceeds 85%
• mobile SIM penetration reaches 143%
• and the projected eCommerce market size may reach €1.2 billion by 2030. 

He also highlighted Albania’s:

SEPA participation since 2024,

which lowers:

• transfer costs
• payment friction
• and banking barriers for international commerce.

Importantly:
foreign sellers do not necessarily need:

• local legal entities
• or local incorporation
  to operate and receive payments.

Key Takeaways

The session demonstrated that Albania is undergoing a rapid eCommerce transformation driven primarily by international marketplaces and changing consumer expectations.

The biggest shift has been:

from domestic commerce toward international shopping,

with cross-border purchasing becoming increasingly normalized.

At the same time, Albania remains:

• highly mobile-first
• trust-sensitive
• and operationally complex.

Cash on delivery still dominates domestic commerce, while prepaid international purchasing is growing, creating a unique hybrid payment environment.

Sula emphasized that:

logistics is now a competitive advantage.

Businesses entering Albania must prioritize:

• trusted last-mile partners
• flexible delivery models
• customs automation
• and local fulfillment expertise.

Finally, the presentation positioned Albania as:

an emerging but still underdeveloped marketplace opportunity,

where early entrants willing to solve logistics and trust challenges may benefit from strong long-term growth potential.

The presentation is not available for sharing.