After breaking the ice on our market and demonstrating that it is possible to establish and run a successful pure e-commerce business, this company’s success has motivated many others to enter the e-commerce sector and contribute to the growth of the entire market. Speaking here for Connecting the Region, Shoppster CEO Ljiljana Ahmetović reveals just how this is achieved, what the future holds for e-commerce, and what Shoppster has planned.
Did you expect this kind of success for the company, and 100 per cent annual growth in turnover?
― Shoppster’s entry onto our market impacted greatly on the development of the e-commerce industry in our country. We entered the market in a big way. We spent more than two years working to prepare the new integrated online and TV store within the framework of United Group, with great support from all group members.
Launching Shoppster as the first real marketplace in our country, accompanied by an attractive marketing campaign that attracted attention both in Serbia and around the region, signalled to many individuals and companies that they could implement their e-commerce ideas on the domestic market. Shoppster emerged as the right solution for hundreds of small and large companies that have ventured into the world of online sales.
Considering the detailed preparation of the plan and the entire setup of our business, including an extremely competent and fully dedicated team, we began ambitiously from day one. The success that we’re achieving provides us with a wet sail to work even better.
Shoppster is today recognised by consumers, retailers and prestigious global companies like Meta. Does that provide the best indicator of the strength of your brand?
― We’ve been building our position as a “one-stop shop” destination from the outset, and we’ve succeeded in that. According to all research, Shoppster is recognised as the largest online marketplace where you can find almost anything. Over just three years, we’ve built an extremely wide-ranging offer of more than 300,000 products. Securing and maintaining this kind of offer in continuity required that we develop all possible business and logistics models and that we position ourselves as a one-stop shop for our partners, i.e., suppliers. We have also secured the necessary conditions to establish cooperation with numerous retailers, as well as with distributors and manufacturers.
Establishing partnerships and synergies represents one of the fundamental elements of our strategy, and we seek and build them in all segments of our operations
It was precisely our good practices that attracted the interest of the world’s largest companies in raising the level of cooperation and publicising our good strategy for managing digital sales channels. The awards that we’ve been receiving in both Serbia and Slovenia also testify to the fact that we’ve been recognised by the business community and rated by them as the best one-stop shop destination.
Also operating within the scope of the Shoppster platform is company Dexpress, one of the region’s biggest courier services. How much did this linkage and the creation of a strong and reliable logistics chain contribute to the further development of e-commerce in our country?
― We realised very quickly after launching Shoppster just how much the satisfaction of our customers, and therefore our success, depends on the “extended hand” of the online platform, i.e., on the courier service. Together with the administration of United Group, we took the strategic decision and, in 2021, completed the acquisition of one of the largest private courier services in Serbia. Dexpress continued its regular operations with the entire market, while at the same time receiving even greater support in the further improvement of its technology, processes and overall service.
Monthly visits measured in the millions
Our broad offer is accompanied by extremely creative content and attractive communication through all channels of communication, which is why our messages attract millions of visitors each month.
With a well-conceived and managed performance strategy and tactics, we are succeeding not only in ensuring that we have high platform visitor figures, but also excellent sales results. We are achieving our targets and high indicators of success through all communications and sales channels..
Dexpress brought state-of-the-art equipment, outstanding technology and organisational experience to our market. It established the first network of parcel machines, which completely changed the online shopping experience. Shoppster and Dexpress are today strategic partners. The very clear key performance indicators that are led by both companies in this collaboration, and along with that a high level of transparency in providing feedback to one another, proactiveness and pragmatism in solving all challenges, have a positive impact when it comes to the constant and rapid improvement of both Shoppster and Dexpress services, while at the same time boosting the level of satisfaction among consumers.
Is Shoppster a platform that could provide a significant contribution to unifying the region?
― Shoppster’s success is based on a well-established strategy and even better implementation. Establishing partnerships and synergies represents one of the fundamental elements of our strategy, and we seek and build them in all segments of our operations. E-commerce is growing and developing across the whole of Southern Europe, including in the Balkans, which is still confronting many regional specificities, primarily in supply chains and local logistics, but also with the challenges created by the overall macroeconomic situation.
Dexpress brought state-of-the-art equipment, outstanding technology and organisational experience to our market, as well as establishing the first network of parcel machines, which completely changed the online shopping experience
The faster development and greater advancement of all members of the e-commerce ecosystem is possible if we are oriented more towards cooperation and less towards competition at any cost. Shoppster operates successfully in Serbia and in Slovenia, and we cooperate with approximately 1,000 partners in both countries. We are constantly transferring experiences, good practices and initiatives from one country to the other, and not only to our employees, but rather to all our partners. We support various regional e-commerce projects and organisations that contribute to the wider community and strive to serve as an example to others of an organisation that is enjoying accelerated growth and contributing to the region’s overall e-commerce ecosystem.
Is Shoppster expected to incorporate into its operations new provisions of the Law on Electronic Commerce, to educate young people, advance e-commerce, contribute to the struggle to combat the grey economy etc.?
― Our leadership position brings with it obligations and responsibilities regarding the entire market. We have been working from day one to educate our market, including both our potential and existing customers, as well as educating our suppliers. We constantly develop the platform, functionalities and processes, in order for us to adapt to different levels of preparedness for online shopping, sales and all structural and after-sales processes. We utilise all available channels of communication, from the Shoppster TV channel to our extremely popular social media profiles and our online platform, in order to familiarise customers with all the benefits of online shopping, as well as the rights and obligations of online customers.
We participate in numerous conferences at which we relay our experiences and share our ideas and initiatives. We are also included in organisations that work intensively on the improving of conditions for e-commerce operations. We are a proud member of the eCommerce Association of Serbia, with which we work actively on various projects, including the analysing of existing laws and regulations and the active proposing of amendments to them that will enable the entire market to feel the real benefits of this compelling industry.
