Go cross-border and sell to the Czech Republic and Slovakia. How e-commerce looks like in our neighbours

Cross-border, or foreign sales, is a strong trend in Polish e-commerce. Some of the most popular e-commerce destinations are the Czech Republic and Slovakia. What is the specificity of online markets in our southern neighbours? Is e-commerce popular in the Czech Republic and Slovakia? What products are most popular there? What integrations will help you sell to the Czech and Slovak markets? We explain in the article below.

• The e-commerce market in the Czech Republic and Slovakia is growing at a furious pace. Czechs have taken a liking to online shopping and are most likely to buy from online shops.
• Selling in marketplaces in the Czech Republic and Slovakia is not popular. Czechs use price comparison sites (e.g. Heureka or Zbozi) and that is often where they start their shopping.
• If you are thinking of entering these markets, it is worthwhile to open your own online shop and build a strong brand.
• There are 43,500 online shops in the Czech Republic (out of a population of 10.6 million) and 12,000 in Slovakia (out of a population of 5.4 million). Consumers are used to online shopping.
• About 50 percent of Slovak e-commerce is made up of purchases from Czech online shops. If a shop does not have a Slovak language version, a Slovak can easily understand Czech.

*90 percent of payments for purchases in online shops in the Czech Republic are "cash on delivery".

Shopping habits in the Czech Republic and Slovakia

Czechs have become accustomed to shopping in online shops. Out of a population of just 10 million, 43,500 e-shops are active there. Czechs use price comparison sites such as Heureka and Zbozi (with which IdoSell has an integration) or Google (Meet Google Ads from IdoSell to help advertise your products in the search engine). The Slovak market is smaller (for a population of more than 5 million, there are 12,000 online shops), but e-commerce is growing at a very fast pace there.

IdoSell integrations with Zbozi and Heureka comparison sites

• Zbozi is a price comparison engine that is often used by people from the older generation. Zbozi is connected to the Seznam portal, which is multifunctional and is used to receive e-mail, read news, but also to search for products (Seznam redirects search results to Zbozi).
• Heureka.cz is a comparison site where shopping often begins. IdoSell offers full integration with Heuerka.cz. Integration with the Slovak counterpart - Heureka.sk - will also be available soon. In the Heureka comparison engine, the client can conveniently buy a product through the "buy now" option (he will not be redirected to the shop's website, but will easily and quickly buy the product directly on the comparison engine's website, the so-called Heureka Card).

In the Czech Republic and Slovakia, no single strong marketplace has emerged. Two sales services are present on the market: Alza (marketplace with electronics) and Mall (Allegro plans to acquire Mall Group in the first half of 2022).

Integrations that will help you sell in the Czech Republic and Slovakia

Payments

90 percent of payments on the Czech market are so-called "cash on delivery". Czech customers are accustomed to paying on delivery (they pay much more often in cash - 60 percent than by card - 40 percent). Consumers also appreciate the possibility to open and check the contents of the package at the collection point. This helps build trust and a relationship with the customer.
E-commerce in the Czech Republic, despite the large number of online shops, is not yet mature. E-commerce is just starting. If the customer decides to pay in advance (only 10 percent of all transactions), they pay with credit cards, pay-by-link (instant transfer) or Apple Pay / Google Pay. (active links)
IdoSell shops have integrations with eCard, PayPal and PayU, which are available on the Czech and Slovak markets.
Our merchants, thanks to the integration with eCard, can accept payments in Czech crowns to a Czech crown account (similarly in Slovakia - euro to a euro account), without additional currency conversions.

Couriers

Czechs and Slovaks most often order goods to pick-up points, they have their favourite places where they pick up their goods, but also make returns. Home delivery is a rarely chosen option, because in the Czech Republic and Slovakia it's difficult to agree on a delivery time with the courier and you have to be available.

By integrating IdoSell with Packeta, you'll be able to sell to the Czech Republic and Slovakia easily. Packeta is very popular on those markets. It offers a convenient way of returns, so that your customer doesn't have to print a return label. As Tereza Nováková of Packeta Group explains, for customers the most troublesome thing about returns is actually printing the label.

- With Packeta, if a customer wants to return a purchased item, they only need to generate a nine-digit return code. It's simple and fast," says Tereza Nováková, "so the customer doesn't need to print a return label. He just needs to go to any pick-up point or parcel machine and enter the return code. Returns in Packet are free of charge.

Packeta is expanding its network of parcel machines in the Czech Republic and is the clear leader in this field (1000 machines). Besides Packeta, Alza and Mall also have their parcel machines.

Integrations with couriers in IdoSell:

• Czech market: DHL Express, DPD, UPS, GLS, Fedex, Packeta, Czech Post
• Slovak market: DPD, GLS, Packeta

What sells in the Czech Republic and Slovakia?

• Clothing industry - clothes, bags, shoes, leather goods
• Electronics - everyday appliances
• Cosmetics - Polish cosmetic brands
• Wedding decorations - especially in Slovakia this industry is very popular

How to be successful on the Czech and Slovak markets?

What can you do to win the hearts of Czech and Slovak consumers in your shop? Check out some tips:

• The Czech market differs from the Slovak market in some respects. Czech customers require that your online shop has a local look and feel, i.e. that it is translated into Czech and has local customer service.
• In Slovakia, customer service in Czech will suffice in the beginning, it is much more beneficial than service in English.
• If you are starting to sell to the Czech Republic, provide your shop with a Czech address and a local telephone number.
• If you want to inspire buyer confidence, offer the option to return to a Czech address.
• Customer service in Czech - consider hiring a native speaker to handle customer service for the Czech and Slovak markets
• Make your presence felt on Instagram (influencer marketing) and on Facebook - marketplace and thematic groups.

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