Improving cross-border e-Commerce services in the Western Balkans
This challenge is in phase: Sustainable Business
How might we make cross-border delivery services more reliable, faster, cheaper and climate-friendly for businesses and consumers?
E-Commerce is one of the fastest growing business sectors in the Western Balkans. On average, more than 10% of products and services are purchased online today. However, compared to markets in the EU, the great economic potential of e-Commerce remains untapped. Hindering factors for local businesses are, for example, the lack of transparent, fast, reliable and affordable cross-border delivery services. There is also a growing awareness of climate-neutral business practices.
To address these challenges, GIZ initiated the 21st lab of tomorrow programme, which focuses on improving delivery services for inter-party e-Commerce in the Western Balkans region.
01
Understand
Embarking on this journey within lab of tomorrow we will look for the opportunities how might we increase reliability and transparency of the delivery process, how delivery process could be become more energy efficient while reducing the total cost of this service or how can we decrease the time of delivery as well as the number of damaged packages due to the inadequate delivery.
Tackling these issues would not only lead to a decrease in the time and cost of delivery, but also to an increase in consumer trust in e-commerce and a rise in the competitiveness of the entire Western Balkan region in doing business on a global level.
Business Opportunities
02
Ideate Solutions
03
Incubate business
04
Sustainable Business
FlexiBA
FlexiBA consolidates eShop orders, cuts costs, and carbon footprint. Operating B2B with transaction fees, aiming to reduce 50kg CO2 per shipment. Developing MVP, expanding from local to Western Balkans.
BALKANHOP
BalkanHop streamlines customs and cross-border trade for B2C e-commerce. As a Merchant of Record (B2B), it consolidates shipments and prepares customs documents. The team will develop an MVP and refine it through testing in the Western Balkans.