CONFERENCE OVERVIEW Prepared by Nina Angelovska and Damjan Dano

1st Annual Ecommerce Conference by Macedonian eCommerce Association

October 26th 2018 Hotel Marriott Skopje Macedonia

TABLE OF CONTENTS

About the Organizer 2

About the Conference 2

Official Website 3

Sponsors amp Partners 3

Media Partners 4

Tickets 5

Ticket Sales 6

Promotion of the Conference 7

After Conference Promotional Activities 9

Participants 10

EvaluationFeedback from Participants 10

Speakers and Panels Evaluation 11

Five Main Conclusions From the Conference 13

1

About the Organizer Building the Future of E-commerce

The Macedonian e-Commerce Association is the first and only association aiming towards inclusive e-commerce Our mission is creating a future for e-commerce growth and success in the country The goals of e-Commerce Macedonia are to support the interests of e-commerce companies contribute to the knowledge and diffusion of e-commerce including related services and technologies and to bring down the barriers that limit the development of the sector Through activities as diverse as training and research lobbying legal amp fiscal support the organization aims to build strong e-Commerce environment in Macedonia The association was formed in December 2017 and in less than a year it managed to gain trust of almost 50 companies that became its members and supporters It raised its awareness massively through its educational activities media presence in TV shows and interviews hence raising the awareness of the importance of e-commerce for Macedonias economic development

About the Conference The theme of the first conference was ldquoeCommerce The eFuture for eMacedoniardquo inspired by our strong belief that a better future for our country can be created by embracing digitalization and becoming a smart society and e-commerce is an integral part of such society

E-commerce can be a key driver for economic growth new job openings and increase productivity Our mission for this conference was to raise awareness to share knowledge and to tackle the challenges standing on its way This conference brought the key stakeholders in one place to connect meet and share knowledge and experience A conference is only as good as the people that attend and the standard of the content that is presented We believe diversity is the cornerstone of progress and we were thrilled to have an amazing mix of participants at the conference varying from middle management and senior executives of different industries and institutions to entrepreneurs and founders and MSMEs We put our greatest efforts in creating a comprehensive agenda

The conference included four main topics development payments delivery and marketing organized in seven keynote talks in e-commerce development and marketing and four interactive panel discussions focused on the e-commerce players payments and delivery We had the pleasure of having 30 experienced and insightful speakers coming from eight countries We know that content is king and we were aiming to cover as much valuable content as we can in todayrsquos agenda in a natural flow for the participants We started with the general landscape of e-commerce in Macedonia followed by some warm welcome addresses from our distinguished speakers Then we heard more about the opportunities and challenges in EU for the Macedonian e-commerce companies A panel discussion with the e-commerce players followed addressing their challenges best practices and experiences The panel for the e-commerce companies was divided in two parts the first one focused on the pure play e-retailers and the second one was dedicated to the giant companies where e-commerce represents an additional sales channel After that we dived deeper into the three key fields marketing payments and delivery If a company wants to sell online it has to attract engage and retain customers (marketing) collect money (payments) and ship the product (delivery) Thatrsquos why we believed that our agenda should follow that order

2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

About the Organizer 2

About the Conference 2

Official Website 3

Sponsors amp Partners 3

Media Partners 4

Tickets 5

Ticket Sales 6

Promotion of the Conference 7

After Conference Promotional Activities 9

Participants 10

EvaluationFeedback from Participants 10

Speakers and Panels Evaluation 11

Five Main Conclusions From the Conference 13

1

About the Organizer Building the Future of E-commerce

The Macedonian e-Commerce Association is the first and only association aiming towards inclusive e-commerce Our mission is creating a future for e-commerce growth and success in the country The goals of e-Commerce Macedonia are to support the interests of e-commerce companies contribute to the knowledge and diffusion of e-commerce including related services and technologies and to bring down the barriers that limit the development of the sector Through activities as diverse as training and research lobbying legal amp fiscal support the organization aims to build strong e-Commerce environment in Macedonia The association was formed in December 2017 and in less than a year it managed to gain trust of almost 50 companies that became its members and supporters It raised its awareness massively through its educational activities media presence in TV shows and interviews hence raising the awareness of the importance of e-commerce for Macedonias economic development

About the Conference The theme of the first conference was ldquoeCommerce The eFuture for eMacedoniardquo inspired by our strong belief that a better future for our country can be created by embracing digitalization and becoming a smart society and e-commerce is an integral part of such society

E-commerce can be a key driver for economic growth new job openings and increase productivity Our mission for this conference was to raise awareness to share knowledge and to tackle the challenges standing on its way This conference brought the key stakeholders in one place to connect meet and share knowledge and experience A conference is only as good as the people that attend and the standard of the content that is presented We believe diversity is the cornerstone of progress and we were thrilled to have an amazing mix of participants at the conference varying from middle management and senior executives of different industries and institutions to entrepreneurs and founders and MSMEs We put our greatest efforts in creating a comprehensive agenda

The conference included four main topics development payments delivery and marketing organized in seven keynote talks in e-commerce development and marketing and four interactive panel discussions focused on the e-commerce players payments and delivery We had the pleasure of having 30 experienced and insightful speakers coming from eight countries We know that content is king and we were aiming to cover as much valuable content as we can in todayrsquos agenda in a natural flow for the participants We started with the general landscape of e-commerce in Macedonia followed by some warm welcome addresses from our distinguished speakers Then we heard more about the opportunities and challenges in EU for the Macedonian e-commerce companies A panel discussion with the e-commerce players followed addressing their challenges best practices and experiences The panel for the e-commerce companies was divided in two parts the first one focused on the pure play e-retailers and the second one was dedicated to the giant companies where e-commerce represents an additional sales channel After that we dived deeper into the three key fields marketing payments and delivery If a company wants to sell online it has to attract engage and retain customers (marketing) collect money (payments) and ship the product (delivery) Thatrsquos why we believed that our agenda should follow that order

2

About the Organizer Building the Future of E-commerce

The Macedonian e-Commerce Association is the first and only association aiming towards inclusive e-commerce Our mission is creating a future for e-commerce growth and success in the country The goals of e-Commerce Macedonia are to support the interests of e-commerce companies contribute to the knowledge and diffusion of e-commerce including related services and technologies and to bring down the barriers that limit the development of the sector Through activities as diverse as training and research lobbying legal amp fiscal support the organization aims to build strong e-Commerce environment in Macedonia The association was formed in December 2017 and in less than a year it managed to gain trust of almost 50 companies that became its members and supporters It raised its awareness massively through its educational activities media presence in TV shows and interviews hence raising the awareness of the importance of e-commerce for Macedonias economic development

About the Conference The theme of the first conference was ldquoeCommerce The eFuture for eMacedoniardquo inspired by our strong belief that a better future for our country can be created by embracing digitalization and becoming a smart society and e-commerce is an integral part of such society

E-commerce can be a key driver for economic growth new job openings and increase productivity Our mission for this conference was to raise awareness to share knowledge and to tackle the challenges standing on its way This conference brought the key stakeholders in one place to connect meet and share knowledge and experience A conference is only as good as the people that attend and the standard of the content that is presented We believe diversity is the cornerstone of progress and we were thrilled to have an amazing mix of participants at the conference varying from middle management and senior executives of different industries and institutions to entrepreneurs and founders and MSMEs We put our greatest efforts in creating a comprehensive agenda

The conference included four main topics development payments delivery and marketing organized in seven keynote talks in e-commerce development and marketing and four interactive panel discussions focused on the e-commerce players payments and delivery We had the pleasure of having 30 experienced and insightful speakers coming from eight countries We know that content is king and we were aiming to cover as much valuable content as we can in todayrsquos agenda in a natural flow for the participants We started with the general landscape of e-commerce in Macedonia followed by some warm welcome addresses from our distinguished speakers Then we heard more about the opportunities and challenges in EU for the Macedonian e-commerce companies A panel discussion with the e-commerce players followed addressing their challenges best practices and experiences The panel for the e-commerce companies was divided in two parts the first one focused on the pure play e-retailers and the second one was dedicated to the giant companies where e-commerce represents an additional sales channel After that we dived deeper into the three key fields marketing payments and delivery If a company wants to sell online it has to attract engage and retain customers (marketing) collect money (payments) and ship the product (delivery) Thatrsquos why we believed that our agenda should follow that order

2

Official Website In order to centralize the promotion of the conference as well as to offer the ability to purchase tickets online and allow registration of attendees the website wwwEcommerceConferencemk was built and used as a central hub for the promotional activities The site integrated a virtual POS terminal from HalkBank and allowed online sales of tickets and books The website was available in both Macedonian and English version and beside the information on the registration process it featured counter that displayed remaining days to the conference content about the agenda speakers and sponsors

Sponsors amp Partners This conference would not be possible without our general partner Mastercard who is supporting the work of The Macedonian E-commerce Association since its establishment our gold sponsor DHL our silver sponsors Accent Sport Vision and EVN and also without the great help and assistance offered by the Fund for Innovations and Technology (FITR) and Swiss Contact We were happy to have Faktor Trust and Eco Logistic Services as bronze sponsors of the conference

We are thankful to all of them and to the many other partners and supporters that participated in the organization of the 1st Macedonian eCommerce Conference

Each of the sponsors received a corresponding number of free tickets and media and marketing exposure As a general partner Mastercard received 50 tickets while Gold partners received 5 tickets Silver partners 3 Bronze sponsors 2 tickets and based on their sponsorship level they received promotion on social channels via PR texts newsletters and branding at the conference venue and on other conference materials Beside the main sponsors and partners the conference received help and support from many other local companies that contributed in various ways

3

Media Partners We created media partnerships with targeted and some highly segmented media outlets in order to promote the conference via advertisements PR outreach and display ads

The key media partners consisted of the most visited website in Macedonia - the news aggregation service Timemk the largest technology media portal ITmk and the finance and investment online media source Bankarstvomk as well as some of the most popular Macedonian radio stationsmdash Kanal 77 and City Radio

Beside these chosen media partners the conference was open and freely accessible to any news outlet that requested an accreditation via an official Media Accreditation form which was featured on the official website of the conference All accreditation requests were carefully examined by the conference team and the selected outlets received a formal invitation and details for attending upon approval

4

Tickets The tickets for the conference were sold almost completely online on the official website EcommerceConferencemk - with two available payment methods via payment card or invoice in two separate phases

PHASE 1 EARLY BIRD The Early Bird phase offered two options

1 Single ticket for a price of 69 Euros and

2 Combo of a ticket + the book ldquoActionable Gamificationrdquo from the keynote speaker and author Yu-Kai Chou for a price of 89 Euros

The Early bird tickets were open for sale starting from 8th of September until 25th of September 2018

PHASE 2 REGULAR PRICE After the Early Bird sale starting from 26th of September 2018 tickets were sold at regular price There were three available options

1 Single ticket for a price of 99 Euros

2 Combo of a single ticket + ldquoActionable Gamificationrdquo book from the keynote speaker Yu-Kai Chou for a price of 116 Euros

3 Bundle of 1 + 1 single tickets with a discount of 24 EUR off from the second ticket total being 173 EUR

The Regular price tickets were sold from 26th of September 2018 until they were completely SOLD OUT on October 15th 2018

5

AETM MEMBERS COMPLIMENTARY TICKETS All members of the Macedonian eCommerce Association received a free ticket Premium and honorary members received two to three tickets The complementary tickets were delivered in a form of a coupon code (with 100 discount) and members were invited to register online on the conference website their participants

The total number of registered participants from the members amounted 48 Additionally the total number of participants who registered for free including complimentary tickets to sponsors partners media partners speakers and organizations like Masit Usaid etc amounted 66 The total number of participants who attended the event for free amounted 124

SPEAKERS COMPLIMENTARY TICKETS

The speakers received one complimentary ticket to register a guest who will accompany them In the same way as with the AETM members the complimentary ticket was issued as a coupon code (with 100 discount) and the company representatives were invited to register online using the discount coupon In this way there were 10 registered participants PROMOTIONAL COUPONS In order to initiate sales the sales team members were allowed a limited usage of coupons with 10 15 or 30 discounts that they could use at their discretion in the promotional period For that purpose various coupons were created for AmCham members MASIT members and other NGOs and organisations

MASTERCARD GUESTS

As a general partner Mastercard received 50 tickets free of charge which they used to invite their associates from financial institutions with the goal of increasing the knowledge and level of informedness about eCommerce among people from banks and financial institutions

Ticket Sales As mentioned above ticket sales were sold mostly on the conference website A promotional deal for 10 tickets was featured on Groupermk In addition Karticommk requested to sell tickets and was approved but no tickets were sold via this channel Few bulk ticket orders from bigger corporations were requested and processed manually by the AETM office directly via invoice

Channels for Total Paid Orders Online

6

Based on the statistics payments via invoice was more used payment method compared to payments with cards

of Total Paid Orders Online

Payments via Invoice Payments via Credit Cards

52 47

Promotion of the Conference The conference event was promoted via various channels among which

Local Media PR Outreach AVE value 27300 EUR 1

4 PR texts Excellent media coverage on web portals and TV stations 2 TV appearances 78 POSITIVE articles published 2 frac12 months of communication HUGE media interest for attendance

Radio Kanal 77 - PR and Radio Commercial City Radio - PR and Radio Commercial

Television Interviews TV 24 Telma Tv - Utrinska Emisija

Targeted Email Marketing Campaigns via MailChimp Campaign 1 Early Bird [link] Campaign 2 Early Bird 1 Day Left [link] Campaign 3 Early Bird Last Day [link] Campaign 4 Agenda Announcement [link] Campaign 5 Special offer [link] Campaign 6 See you Tomorrow [link] Campaign 7 Post-Conference Follow-up [link]

Web Banners ITmk Timemk Bankarstvomk Groupermk (baner in daily newsletter campaigns) Bimk

1 Advertising Value Equivalent - AVE refers to the cost of buying the space taken up by a particular article had the article been an advertisement

7

Tickets The tickets for the conference were sold almost completely online on the official website EcommerceConferencemk - with two available payment methods via payment card or invoice in two separate phases

PHASE 1 EARLY BIRD The Early Bird phase offered two options

1 Single ticket for a price of 69 Euros and

2 Combo of a ticket + the book ldquoActionable Gamificationrdquo from the keynote speaker and author Yu-Kai Chou for a price of 89 Euros

The Early bird tickets were open for sale starting from 8th of September until 25th of September 2018

PHASE 2 REGULAR PRICE After the Early Bird sale starting from 26th of September 2018 tickets were sold at regular price There were three available options

1 Single ticket for a price of 99 Euros

2 Combo of a single ticket + ldquoActionable Gamificationrdquo book from the keynote speaker Yu-Kai Chou for a price of 116 Euros

3 Bundle of 1 + 1 single tickets with a discount of 24 EUR off from the second ticket total being 173 EUR

The Regular price tickets were sold from 26th of September 2018 until they were completely SOLD OUT on October 15th 2018

5

AETM MEMBERS COMPLIMENTARY TICKETS All members of the Macedonian eCommerce Association received a free ticket Premium and honorary members received two to three tickets The complementary tickets were delivered in a form of a coupon code (with 100 discount) and members were invited to register online on the conference website their participants

The total number of registered participants from the members amounted 48 Additionally the total number of participants who registered for free including complimentary tickets to sponsors partners media partners speakers and organizations like Masit Usaid etc amounted 66 The total number of participants who attended the event for free amounted 124

SPEAKERS COMPLIMENTARY TICKETS

The speakers received one complimentary ticket to register a guest who will accompany them In the same way as with the AETM members the complimentary ticket was issued as a coupon code (with 100 discount) and the company representatives were invited to register online using the discount coupon In this way there were 10 registered participants PROMOTIONAL COUPONS In order to initiate sales the sales team members were allowed a limited usage of coupons with 10 15 or 30 discounts that they could use at their discretion in the promotional period For that purpose various coupons were created for AmCham members MASIT members and other NGOs and organisations

MASTERCARD GUESTS

As a general partner Mastercard received 50 tickets free of charge which they used to invite their associates from financial institutions with the goal of increasing the knowledge and level of informedness about eCommerce among people from banks and financial institutions

Ticket Sales As mentioned above ticket sales were sold mostly on the conference website A promotional deal for 10 tickets was featured on Groupermk In addition Karticommk requested to sell tickets and was approved but no tickets were sold via this channel Few bulk ticket orders from bigger corporations were requested and processed manually by the AETM office directly via invoice

Channels for Total Paid Orders Online

6

Based on the statistics payments via invoice was more used payment method compared to payments with cards

of Total Paid Orders Online

Payments via Invoice Payments via Credit Cards

52 47

Promotion of the Conference The conference event was promoted via various channels among which

Local Media PR Outreach AVE value 27300 EUR 1

4 PR texts Excellent media coverage on web portals and TV stations 2 TV appearances 78 POSITIVE articles published 2 frac12 months of communication HUGE media interest for attendance

Radio Kanal 77 - PR and Radio Commercial City Radio - PR and Radio Commercial

Television Interviews TV 24 Telma Tv - Utrinska Emisija

Targeted Email Marketing Campaigns via MailChimp Campaign 1 Early Bird [link] Campaign 2 Early Bird 1 Day Left [link] Campaign 3 Early Bird Last Day [link] Campaign 4 Agenda Announcement [link] Campaign 5 Special offer [link] Campaign 6 See you Tomorrow [link] Campaign 7 Post-Conference Follow-up [link]

Web Banners ITmk Timemk Bankarstvomk Groupermk (baner in daily newsletter campaigns) Bimk

1 Advertising Value Equivalent - AVE refers to the cost of buying the space taken up by a particular article had the article been an advertisement

7

AETM MEMBERS COMPLIMENTARY TICKETS All members of the Macedonian eCommerce Association received a free ticket Premium and honorary members received two to three tickets The complementary tickets were delivered in a form of a coupon code (with 100 discount) and members were invited to register online on the conference website their participants

The total number of registered participants from the members amounted 48 Additionally the total number of participants who registered for free including complimentary tickets to sponsors partners media partners speakers and organizations like Masit Usaid etc amounted 66 The total number of participants who attended the event for free amounted 124

SPEAKERS COMPLIMENTARY TICKETS

The speakers received one complimentary ticket to register a guest who will accompany them In the same way as with the AETM members the complimentary ticket was issued as a coupon code (with 100 discount) and the company representatives were invited to register online using the discount coupon In this way there were 10 registered participants PROMOTIONAL COUPONS In order to initiate sales the sales team members were allowed a limited usage of coupons with 10 15 or 30 discounts that they could use at their discretion in the promotional period For that purpose various coupons were created for AmCham members MASIT members and other NGOs and organisations

MASTERCARD GUESTS

As a general partner Mastercard received 50 tickets free of charge which they used to invite their associates from financial institutions with the goal of increasing the knowledge and level of informedness about eCommerce among people from banks and financial institutions

Ticket Sales As mentioned above ticket sales were sold mostly on the conference website A promotional deal for 10 tickets was featured on Groupermk In addition Karticommk requested to sell tickets and was approved but no tickets were sold via this channel Few bulk ticket orders from bigger corporations were requested and processed manually by the AETM office directly via invoice

Channels for Total Paid Orders Online

6

Based on the statistics payments via invoice was more used payment method compared to payments with cards

of Total Paid Orders Online

Payments via Invoice Payments via Credit Cards

52 47

Promotion of the Conference The conference event was promoted via various channels among which

Local Media PR Outreach AVE value 27300 EUR 1

4 PR texts Excellent media coverage on web portals and TV stations 2 TV appearances 78 POSITIVE articles published 2 frac12 months of communication HUGE media interest for attendance

Radio Kanal 77 - PR and Radio Commercial City Radio - PR and Radio Commercial

Television Interviews TV 24 Telma Tv - Utrinska Emisija

Targeted Email Marketing Campaigns via MailChimp Campaign 1 Early Bird [link] Campaign 2 Early Bird 1 Day Left [link] Campaign 3 Early Bird Last Day [link] Campaign 4 Agenda Announcement [link] Campaign 5 Special offer [link] Campaign 6 See you Tomorrow [link] Campaign 7 Post-Conference Follow-up [link]

Web Banners ITmk Timemk Bankarstvomk Groupermk (baner in daily newsletter campaigns) Bimk

1 Advertising Value Equivalent - AVE refers to the cost of buying the space taken up by a particular article had the article been an advertisement

7

Based on the statistics payments via invoice was more used payment method compared to payments with cards

of Total Paid Orders Online

Payments via Invoice Payments via Credit Cards

52 47

Promotion of the Conference The conference event was promoted via various channels among which

Local Media PR Outreach AVE value 27300 EUR 1

4 PR texts Excellent media coverage on web portals and TV stations 2 TV appearances 78 POSITIVE articles published 2 frac12 months of communication HUGE media interest for attendance

Radio Kanal 77 - PR and Radio Commercial City Radio - PR and Radio Commercial

Television Interviews TV 24 Telma Tv - Utrinska Emisija

Targeted Email Marketing Campaigns via MailChimp Campaign 1 Early Bird [link] Campaign 2 Early Bird 1 Day Left [link] Campaign 3 Early Bird Last Day [link] Campaign 4 Agenda Announcement [link] Campaign 5 Special offer [link] Campaign 6 See you Tomorrow [link] Campaign 7 Post-Conference Follow-up [link]

Web Banners ITmk Timemk Bankarstvomk Groupermk (baner in daily newsletter campaigns) Bimk

1 Advertising Value Equivalent - AVE refers to the cost of buying the space taken up by a particular article had the article been an advertisement

7

Facebook Advertising Through the Macedonian eCommerce Association page [link] Through the Facebook event page for the conference [link] Through Facebook Ads including remarketing

8

Instagram Through the Macedonian eCommerce Association profile [link] Through Ads placed in Instagram stories and feed

LinkedIn Through the Macedonian eCommerce Association page [link]

All of the promotional activities included free coverage through media partnerships or PR efforts except the Facebook and Instagram Ads for which a dedicated budget of $620 for promotion of the conference was spent out of which $500 for pre-conference promotion and $120 for after conference The paid efforts on Facebook and Instagram during the pre-conference promotion generated total reach of 229886 and 616995 impressions

After Conference Promotional Activities

After the event the following promotional activities were undertaken

PR article ldquoFive Main Conclusions From the Ecommerce Conferencerdquo (link)

Evaluation survey for the participants on the Conference [sent an email to the participants via Mailchimp] (link)

Video of the Ecommerce Conference [promoted via AETMs social media channels] (link)

9

Participants The event itself hosted over 400 people including speakers organizational staff media representatives and attendees from which 370 were registered attendees coming from the following entities

Еmployees and management attendees from over 120 private companies and corporations

Representatives from over 7 banks

Representatives from 6 different local and international NGOs Representatives from 8 governmental institutions Participants from 6 different educational institutions

EvaluationFeedback from Participants In order to draw conclusions as well as to fully understand all aspects of the conference a survey for evaluation was conducted The results from the survey will also provide a basis for improvement for next year The participants got an email inviting them to provide their feedback the after the conference The survey was delivered in a targeted newsletter to all participants of the conference with a follow-up reminder 4 days after the initial email

The response rate amounted over 25 or 93 of the attendees took part and provided answers for all aspects of the conference including the overall organization location feedback on each of the panel discussions and speakers as well as comments from their point of view

The next pages provide summarized overview of the participants answers on the survey that was delivered to them via Google Forms [link] The results follow the questions in the same order as delivered in the survey itself

Over 88 of the attendees gave high scores - 4 and 5 - for the overall satisfaction of the conference

The conference met and exceeded the expectations of 85 of the participants Over 32 of the attendees said that the conference exceeded their expectations while 53 responded that it met their expectations

10

Satisfaction with various organisational aspects Average grade (1-5)

Registration process 453

Gift bags 430

Agenda and content 423

Overall organization of the event 428

Venue (Hotel Marriott) 456

Catering 370

Technical equipment 433

Expo area 410

Additional entertainment activities 426

Almost 90 of the participants are very likely to recommend the conference to a friend or colleague

Speakers and Panels Evaluation

Evaluаtion of speakers who delivered keynote presentations or talks

Speaker Organisation and country

Topic Average grade (1-5)

Gorast Cvetkovski Host Macedonia Host 423

Triin Saag Emota Belgium ldquoOpportunities And Challenges Of Macedonian Webshops In The EUrdquo

367

Bogdan Bochenek Mastercard Poland ldquoE-Commerce Payment Process The Trends Behind Convenience Features Versus Risk Mitigation Factors Compromisesrdquo

393

Yu-kai Chou Octalysis Group USA ldquoHow Gamified E-commerce Will Become The Next Battleground For Consumer Attention And Engagementldquo

448

Supratim Biswas Clever Tap UK ldquoHow Artificial Intelligence And Machine Learning Are Transforming Modern Marketingrdquo

411

Michaela Plesnikova Kiwicom Czech Republic

ldquoHow To Build A Great E-commerce Business That Sells Itselfrdquo

383

11

Evaluation of panels and moderators

Panel topic PanelistsModerator Organisation and country Average grade (1-5)

Overall Satisfaction (1-5)

The Ones That Make The SUPPLY ldquoShow Me How Its Donerdquo Part 1 The Challenges Of Pure MK E-players

Dragan Josifovski Ajlin Sheali Ljupcho Antovski Jovan Lazareski

Paketmk Macedonia Pazar3mk Macedonia KupiKnigamk Macedonia PlatiNaVratamk Macedonia

430

434

Nina Angelovska AETM amp Groupermk 451

The Ones That Make The SUPPLY ldquoShow Me How Its Donerdquo Part 1 The Future Of E-commerce As A Sales Channel For The Giants On The Market

Nikola Ljushev Mislav Galler Iskra Tikvarovska Kazandzievska Marija Tomevska Zorana Milidrag

Makedonski Telekom Macedonia VIP Macedonia EVN Macedonia Eurolink Macedonia Sport Vision Serbia

425

433

Nina Angelovska AETM amp Groupermk Macedonia 443

PAYMENTS In eCommerce ldquoShow Me The Moneyrdquo

Veljan Popovski Atila Selim Stefan Peposki Igor Velichkovski Biljana Donovska Gecheva

NLB Bank Macedonia HalkBank Macedonia Stopanska Banka Skopje Macedonia National Bank of The Republic of Macedonia Casys Macedonia

365

382

Damjan Dano IWM Network Macedonia 416

DELIVERY amp Cross-border E-commerce ldquoShow Me The Packagerdquo

Zlatko Veterovski Marina Antova Vlatko Atanasoski Igor Geshovski

Customs Administration Macedonia DHL Macedonia Postal Agency Macedonia Eco-Logistic Service Macedonia

397

387

Daniela Milosheska Bastet Noir Macedonia 354

On the question to share their opinion about the conference duration more than 61 of the participants responded that the duration was adequate for the content 19 said that the conference should have lasted longer while 20 that it lasted longer than acceptable On the question What did you like most of the conference most of the participants mentioned the content the panels the energy of the organizer and the overall organization Looking forward to the next yearrsquos conference the participants recommended that several events throughout the year should be organized focusing on different topics in the field (e-commerce regulation payments delivery) as they could be more thoroughly discussed Moreover the possibility of more panel discussions and prominent foreign speakers was endorsed as well

12

Five Main Conclusions From the Conference Under the theme ldquoE-Commerce e-Future for e-Macedoniardquo the conference attracted huge interest The tickets were sold out 10 days before the event and unfortunately due to the limited capacity of the venue we could not accept more than 150 people who wanted to attend At the conference there were almost 400 participants coming from 150 companies organizations and government institutions Over 30 speakers coming from 8 countries shared their views and experiences and discussed the trends challenges and potential solutions for e-commerce growth

The agenda was an enjoyable whirlwind of meet-and-greet activities panel discussions insights and presentations as well as an abundance of other entertaining activities such as an interactive quiz for all of the guests and a musical performance of the comical song ldquoCenardquo by Debeliot Kraj

Digitalization opens up doors for creating new business models Furthermore it helps transform the current traditional business practices and replace outdated processes For e-commerce to thrive all stakeholders--businesses the government organizations banks and consumers must take a pertinent stand When it comes to the digital market skys the limit This rings especially true for Macedonia--a small country with untapped potential for something great

During the conference registrants had the unique opportunity to familiarize themselves with the new technological marvels the breakthroughs in artificial intelligence machine learning as well as gamification The four panels allowed key speakers to share their insights on the key elements of e-commerce--supply payment delivery as well as information technology readiness The representatives of businesses and institutions gave their best to cover the numerous challenges that arise in their respective areas More often than not the speakers were emphasizing the importance of education and regulations but other obstacles such as transport IT systems user rules data protection were stressed out on numerous occasions

These are the five main conclusions that we drew from the conference

1 E-Commerce and digitalization is a must and people need to have digital skills if we are to foster inclusive digital society

Statistics on global and domestic markets point out that e-commerce is extremely profitable and it can be an enabler for economic growth of a country Macedonia having spent 63 million euros on online purchases in the first half of 2018 marks a 20 increase since last year All of the key speakers whether they were small e-merchants or big giant corporations like Makedonski Telekom Vip EuroLink Insurance and SportVision seemed to agree that the future is in e-commerce sales and this is where their priorities lie

ldquoPeople with no access to the internet and technology risk a digital and economic exclusionrdquo Mr Damjan Machevski Minister of Information Society and Administration pointed out during his welcome speech

2 The regulation should address the needs of the business community and not the other way around

In all four panel discussions there were talks on how the regulation should become more flexible to the needs of the business community and how it should be improved upon and made more concise in a way that can cover the latest trends and address the needs of the business community More than once was mentioned how the business should not be restricted by regulation and

13

innovation should not be stifled Instead the regulation should adapt to the new digital world and be an enabler so that businesses can flourish and innovate Administrative procedures were stresses out several times as some of the kew obstacles for the companies

ldquoWe know little about regulation We are unsure of its nature and that proves to be a huge setback especially for smaller e-commerce merchants We have no clear indications as to how e-commerce laws should be working in the regionrdquo Zorana Milidrag Regional Director for e-Commerce at Sport Vision admitted

3 Better opportunities and stronger competition are sorely needed

Competition is the key component not only for the betterment of innovation but also for growth and offering options Competition was described as the best catalyst for breakthrough in e-commerce supply and demand

ldquoEliminate the pressure of the competitive spirit and all you are left with are the outdated principles of commerce For why should something change and why should the old give way to the new when things seem to be working the way they are But add competitors to the equation and you end up trying to figure out ways for better efficiency Competition is the best trigger for big systems to move at a faster pacerdquo stated Nikola Ljushev Executive Director of Makedonski Telekom

4 Fintech innovations should take the stage

We are dealing with outdated methods of registration for e-commerce merchants and for getting virtual terminals for payment The technology has only slightly changed from the first online payment in Macedonia back in 2008 Banks should show initiative and implement more innovative methods In order to speed things up we are expecting inclusion of Fintech companies an emerging financial service and a non-bank sector

By changing the regulations on which the NBRM operates it will soon be possible to allow companies from the non-bank sector to implement their own solutionsrdquo Igor Velichkovski Central Bank of the Republic of Macedonia representative explained Velichovski confirmed that NBRM is working on making Fintech innovations a reality

5 There is a big challenge with delivery and cross-border e-commerce

Domestic e-merchants come across many problems The two biggest ones seem to be delivery (international or otherwise) as well as logistics Delivery seems to take precedence as it sometimes becomes an insurmountable challenge one where it is extremely difficult to afford shipping customs and product return policy costs These were some of the biggest challenges that were discussed during the conference The announcement that the customs administration will simplify the customs declaration procedure and in turn lower costs is however encouraging

ldquoWith a single customs declaration which might be on weekly or monthly basis a merchant can perform multiple exports with low to non-existent costsrdquo Gjoko Tanasoski Director General of the Customs Administration of the Republic of Macedonia explained

Photos from the conference can be found on the following link

14

Evaluation of panels and moderators

Panel topic PanelistsModerator Organisation and country Average grade (1-5)

Overall Satisfaction (1-5)

The Ones That Make The SUPPLY ldquoShow Me How Its Donerdquo Part 1 The Challenges Of Pure MK E-players

Dragan Josifovski Ajlin Sheali Ljupcho Antovski Jovan Lazareski

Paketmk Macedonia Pazar3mk Macedonia KupiKnigamk Macedonia PlatiNaVratamk Macedonia

430

434

Nina Angelovska AETM amp Groupermk 451

The Ones That Make The SUPPLY ldquoShow Me How Its Donerdquo Part 1 The Future Of E-commerce As A Sales Channel For The Giants On The Market

Nikola Ljushev Mislav Galler Iskra Tikvarovska Kazandzievska Marija Tomevska Zorana Milidrag

Makedonski Telekom Macedonia VIP Macedonia EVN Macedonia Eurolink Macedonia Sport Vision Serbia

425

433

Nina Angelovska AETM amp Groupermk Macedonia 443

PAYMENTS In eCommerce ldquoShow Me The Moneyrdquo

Veljan Popovski Atila Selim Stefan Peposki Igor Velichkovski Biljana Donovska Gecheva

NLB Bank Macedonia HalkBank Macedonia Stopanska Banka Skopje Macedonia National Bank of The Republic of Macedonia Casys Macedonia

365

382

Damjan Dano IWM Network Macedonia 416

DELIVERY amp Cross-border E-commerce ldquoShow Me The Packagerdquo

Zlatko Veterovski Marina Antova Vlatko Atanasoski Igor Geshovski

Customs Administration Macedonia DHL Macedonia Postal Agency Macedonia Eco-Logistic Service Macedonia

397

387

Daniela Milosheska Bastet Noir Macedonia 354

On the question to share their opinion about the conference duration more than 61 of the participants responded that the duration was adequate for the content 19 said that the conference should have lasted longer while 20 that it lasted longer than acceptable On the question What did you like most of the conference most of the participants mentioned the content the panels the energy of the organizer and the overall organization Looking forward to the next yearrsquos conference the participants recommended that several events throughout the year should be organized focusing on different topics in the field (e-commerce regulation payments delivery) as they could be more thoroughly discussed Moreover the possibility of more panel discussions and prominent foreign speakers was endorsed as well

12

Five Main Conclusions From the Conference Under the theme ldquoE-Commerce e-Future for e-Macedoniardquo the conference attracted huge interest The tickets were sold out 10 days before the event and unfortunately due to the limited capacity of the venue we could not accept more than 150 people who wanted to attend At the conference there were almost 400 participants coming from 150 companies organizations and government institutions Over 30 speakers coming from 8 countries shared their views and experiences and discussed the trends challenges and potential solutions for e-commerce growth

The agenda was an enjoyable whirlwind of meet-and-greet activities panel discussions insights and presentations as well as an abundance of other entertaining activities such as an interactive quiz for all of the guests and a musical performance of the comical song ldquoCenardquo by Debeliot Kraj

Digitalization opens up doors for creating new business models Furthermore it helps transform the current traditional business practices and replace outdated processes For e-commerce to thrive all stakeholders--businesses the government organizations banks and consumers must take a pertinent stand When it comes to the digital market skys the limit This rings especially true for Macedonia--a small country with untapped potential for something great

During the conference registrants had the unique opportunity to familiarize themselves with the new technological marvels the breakthroughs in artificial intelligence machine learning as well as gamification The four panels allowed key speakers to share their insights on the key elements of e-commerce--supply payment delivery as well as information technology readiness The representatives of businesses and institutions gave their best to cover the numerous challenges that arise in their respective areas More often than not the speakers were emphasizing the importance of education and regulations but other obstacles such as transport IT systems user rules data protection were stressed out on numerous occasions

These are the five main conclusions that we drew from the conference

1 E-Commerce and digitalization is a must and people need to have digital skills if we are to foster inclusive digital society

Statistics on global and domestic markets point out that e-commerce is extremely profitable and it can be an enabler for economic growth of a country Macedonia having spent 63 million euros on online purchases in the first half of 2018 marks a 20 increase since last year All of the key speakers whether they were small e-merchants or big giant corporations like Makedonski Telekom Vip EuroLink Insurance and SportVision seemed to agree that the future is in e-commerce sales and this is where their priorities lie

ldquoPeople with no access to the internet and technology risk a digital and economic exclusionrdquo Mr Damjan Machevski Minister of Information Society and Administration pointed out during his welcome speech

2 The regulation should address the needs of the business community and not the other way around

In all four panel discussions there were talks on how the regulation should become more flexible to the needs of the business community and how it should be improved upon and made more concise in a way that can cover the latest trends and address the needs of the business community More than once was mentioned how the business should not be restricted by regulation and

13

innovation should not be stifled Instead the regulation should adapt to the new digital world and be an enabler so that businesses can flourish and innovate Administrative procedures were stresses out several times as some of the kew obstacles for the companies

ldquoWe know little about regulation We are unsure of its nature and that proves to be a huge setback especially for smaller e-commerce merchants We have no clear indications as to how e-commerce laws should be working in the regionrdquo Zorana Milidrag Regional Director for e-Commerce at Sport Vision admitted

3 Better opportunities and stronger competition are sorely needed

Competition is the key component not only for the betterment of innovation but also for growth and offering options Competition was described as the best catalyst for breakthrough in e-commerce supply and demand

ldquoEliminate the pressure of the competitive spirit and all you are left with are the outdated principles of commerce For why should something change and why should the old give way to the new when things seem to be working the way they are But add competitors to the equation and you end up trying to figure out ways for better efficiency Competition is the best trigger for big systems to move at a faster pacerdquo stated Nikola Ljushev Executive Director of Makedonski Telekom

4 Fintech innovations should take the stage

We are dealing with outdated methods of registration for e-commerce merchants and for getting virtual terminals for payment The technology has only slightly changed from the first online payment in Macedonia back in 2008 Banks should show initiative and implement more innovative methods In order to speed things up we are expecting inclusion of Fintech companies an emerging financial service and a non-bank sector

By changing the regulations on which the NBRM operates it will soon be possible to allow companies from the non-bank sector to implement their own solutionsrdquo Igor Velichkovski Central Bank of the Republic of Macedonia representative explained Velichovski confirmed that NBRM is working on making Fintech innovations a reality

5 There is a big challenge with delivery and cross-border e-commerce

Domestic e-merchants come across many problems The two biggest ones seem to be delivery (international or otherwise) as well as logistics Delivery seems to take precedence as it sometimes becomes an insurmountable challenge one where it is extremely difficult to afford shipping customs and product return policy costs These were some of the biggest challenges that were discussed during the conference The announcement that the customs administration will simplify the customs declaration procedure and in turn lower costs is however encouraging

ldquoWith a single customs declaration which might be on weekly or monthly basis a merchant can perform multiple exports with low to non-existent costsrdquo Gjoko Tanasoski Director General of the Customs Administration of the Republic of Macedonia explained

Photos from the conference can be found on the following link

14

Five Main Conclusions From the Conference Under the theme ldquoE-Commerce e-Future for e-Macedoniardquo the conference attracted huge interest The tickets were sold out 10 days before the event and unfortunately due to the limited capacity of the venue we could not accept more than 150 people who wanted to attend At the conference there were almost 400 participants coming from 150 companies organizations and government institutions Over 30 speakers coming from 8 countries shared their views and experiences and discussed the trends challenges and potential solutions for e-commerce growth

The agenda was an enjoyable whirlwind of meet-and-greet activities panel discussions insights and presentations as well as an abundance of other entertaining activities such as an interactive quiz for all of the guests and a musical performance of the comical song ldquoCenardquo by Debeliot Kraj

Digitalization opens up doors for creating new business models Furthermore it helps transform the current traditional business practices and replace outdated processes For e-commerce to thrive all stakeholders--businesses the government organizations banks and consumers must take a pertinent stand When it comes to the digital market skys the limit This rings especially true for Macedonia--a small country with untapped potential for something great

During the conference registrants had the unique opportunity to familiarize themselves with the new technological marvels the breakthroughs in artificial intelligence machine learning as well as gamification The four panels allowed key speakers to share their insights on the key elements of e-commerce--supply payment delivery as well as information technology readiness The representatives of businesses and institutions gave their best to cover the numerous challenges that arise in their respective areas More often than not the speakers were emphasizing the importance of education and regulations but other obstacles such as transport IT systems user rules data protection were stressed out on numerous occasions

These are the five main conclusions that we drew from the conference

1 E-Commerce and digitalization is a must and people need to have digital skills if we are to foster inclusive digital society

Statistics on global and domestic markets point out that e-commerce is extremely profitable and it can be an enabler for economic growth of a country Macedonia having spent 63 million euros on online purchases in the first half of 2018 marks a 20 increase since last year All of the key speakers whether they were small e-merchants or big giant corporations like Makedonski Telekom Vip EuroLink Insurance and SportVision seemed to agree that the future is in e-commerce sales and this is where their priorities lie

ldquoPeople with no access to the internet and technology risk a digital and economic exclusionrdquo Mr Damjan Machevski Minister of Information Society and Administration pointed out during his welcome speech

2 The regulation should address the needs of the business community and not the other way around

In all four panel discussions there were talks on how the regulation should become more flexible to the needs of the business community and how it should be improved upon and made more concise in a way that can cover the latest trends and address the needs of the business community More than once was mentioned how the business should not be restricted by regulation and

13

innovation should not be stifled Instead the regulation should adapt to the new digital world and be an enabler so that businesses can flourish and innovate Administrative procedures were stresses out several times as some of the kew obstacles for the companies

ldquoWe know little about regulation We are unsure of its nature and that proves to be a huge setback especially for smaller e-commerce merchants We have no clear indications as to how e-commerce laws should be working in the regionrdquo Zorana Milidrag Regional Director for e-Commerce at Sport Vision admitted

3 Better opportunities and stronger competition are sorely needed

Competition is the key component not only for the betterment of innovation but also for growth and offering options Competition was described as the best catalyst for breakthrough in e-commerce supply and demand

ldquoEliminate the pressure of the competitive spirit and all you are left with are the outdated principles of commerce For why should something change and why should the old give way to the new when things seem to be working the way they are But add competitors to the equation and you end up trying to figure out ways for better efficiency Competition is the best trigger for big systems to move at a faster pacerdquo stated Nikola Ljushev Executive Director of Makedonski Telekom

4 Fintech innovations should take the stage

We are dealing with outdated methods of registration for e-commerce merchants and for getting virtual terminals for payment The technology has only slightly changed from the first online payment in Macedonia back in 2008 Banks should show initiative and implement more innovative methods In order to speed things up we are expecting inclusion of Fintech companies an emerging financial service and a non-bank sector

By changing the regulations on which the NBRM operates it will soon be possible to allow companies from the non-bank sector to implement their own solutionsrdquo Igor Velichkovski Central Bank of the Republic of Macedonia representative explained Velichovski confirmed that NBRM is working on making Fintech innovations a reality

5 There is a big challenge with delivery and cross-border e-commerce

Domestic e-merchants come across many problems The two biggest ones seem to be delivery (international or otherwise) as well as logistics Delivery seems to take precedence as it sometimes becomes an insurmountable challenge one where it is extremely difficult to afford shipping customs and product return policy costs These were some of the biggest challenges that were discussed during the conference The announcement that the customs administration will simplify the customs declaration procedure and in turn lower costs is however encouraging

ldquoWith a single customs declaration which might be on weekly or monthly basis a merchant can perform multiple exports with low to non-existent costsrdquo Gjoko Tanasoski Director General of the Customs Administration of the Republic of Macedonia explained

Photos from the conference can be found on the following link

14

innovation should not be stifled Instead the regulation should adapt to the new digital world and be an enabler so that businesses can flourish and innovate Administrative procedures were stresses out several times as some of the kew obstacles for the companies

ldquoWe know little about regulation We are unsure of its nature and that proves to be a huge setback especially for smaller e-commerce merchants We have no clear indications as to how e-commerce laws should be working in the regionrdquo Zorana Milidrag Regional Director for e-Commerce at Sport Vision admitted

3 Better opportunities and stronger competition are sorely needed

Competition is the key component not only for the betterment of innovation but also for growth and offering options Competition was described as the best catalyst for breakthrough in e-commerce supply and demand

ldquoEliminate the pressure of the competitive spirit and all you are left with are the outdated principles of commerce For why should something change and why should the old give way to the new when things seem to be working the way they are But add competitors to the equation and you end up trying to figure out ways for better efficiency Competition is the best trigger for big systems to move at a faster pacerdquo stated Nikola Ljushev Executive Director of Makedonski Telekom

4 Fintech innovations should take the stage

We are dealing with outdated methods of registration for e-commerce merchants and for getting virtual terminals for payment The technology has only slightly changed from the first online payment in Macedonia back in 2008 Banks should show initiative and implement more innovative methods In order to speed things up we are expecting inclusion of Fintech companies an emerging financial service and a non-bank sector

By changing the regulations on which the NBRM operates it will soon be possible to allow companies from the non-bank sector to implement their own solutionsrdquo Igor Velichkovski Central Bank of the Republic of Macedonia representative explained Velichovski confirmed that NBRM is working on making Fintech innovations a reality

5 There is a big challenge with delivery and cross-border e-commerce

Domestic e-merchants come across many problems The two biggest ones seem to be delivery (international or otherwise) as well as logistics Delivery seems to take precedence as it sometimes becomes an insurmountable challenge one where it is extremely difficult to afford shipping customs and product return policy costs These were some of the biggest challenges that were discussed during the conference The announcement that the customs administration will simplify the customs declaration procedure and in turn lower costs is however encouraging

ldquoWith a single customs declaration which might be on weekly or monthly basis a merchant can perform multiple exports with low to non-existent costsrdquo Gjoko Tanasoski Director General of the Customs Administration of the Republic of Macedonia explained

Photos from the conference can be found on the following link

14