{"id":1190,"date":"2015-12-30T15:22:43","date_gmt":"2015-12-30T15:22:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digilex.store\/kako-zapoceti-e-commerce-biznis-u-srbiji\/"},"modified":"2026-09-07T07:57:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-07T07:57:13","slug":"kako-zapoceti-e-commerce-biznis-u-srbiji","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/allsecure.rs\/en\/kako-zapoceti-e-commerce-biznis-u-srbiji\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Start an E-commerce Business (in Serbia)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Kako<\/figure>\n

In 2014, more than one million citizens of Serbia paid for goods or services online, an increase of about 30% over the previous year. Forecasts for 2015 are even better. Trends indicate that we can expect further growth of nearly 50% compared to 2014. This would mean that last year nearly two million cardholders from Serbia spent around 180 million euros online. On top of that, equally dynamic, if not more aggressive, growth is expected in the coming years.<\/p>\n

These indicators logically lead entrepreneurs, primarily those running small and medium-sized enterprises, to conclude that the right time to launch online sales has finally come. And there is more than enough room for it. And don\u2019t believe the stories that Serbian citizens are afraid of shopping online. That is simply not true. All the statistics, as well as plain logic, refute this.<\/p>\n

With barely 150 online stores in Serbia, our market, and even more importantly\u00a0\u2013 our customers, are crying out for serious online stores that will let customers buy the products they want in their own country, instead of meeting their needs, as they have so far, by shopping on foreign websites, which, realistically, drastically reduces the options for local support and warranties on purchased goods\u2026. not to mention delivery times.<\/p>\n

So, if you also belong to this category and are currently thinking about launching your own e-commerce business and selling online, I hope this post will help you do so.<\/p>\n

Start by Choosing a Good Name<\/h3>\n

The first decision you need to make (after deciding what you want to sell online, of course) is choosing a good, memorable business name that no one else is using yet. By searching the website of the Serbian Business Registers Agency<\/a>, you can easily find out whether a name is already in use or reserved. In addition, the Internet is full of great websites that can give you good ideas for a catchy name for your business, and best of all, this service is usually free.<\/p>\n

Secure a Domain for Your Website<\/h3>\n

A domain is your website\u2019s address. Domains can be international (.com .net .biz<\/em> and others) or national (.co .rs<\/em> and similar). Ideally, you will register a domain with the same name as your business. However, if that domain is not available, choose one that is easy to pronounce and connected to the essence of your business. So, if your business is called \u2018Prodaja Cipela d.o.o.<\/em>\u2019 and the domain prodajacipela.com<\/em> is not available, try something similar, such as cipele.com, prodaja-cipela.com, cipelezavas.com<\/em> and the like. Of course, domains can also be local, which will make your choice easier, so options such as cipele.co.rs, prodajacipela.co.rs<\/em> etc. will also \u2018work\u2019. You can find more details on domain registration methods and options on the website of RNIDS<\/a><\/strong>-a.<\/p>\n

\"Kako<\/figure>\n

Set Up Your Online Store<\/h3>\n

To sell online, you will need a website that is presentable, understandable to your customers, easy to navigate and clearly branded. Designing and developing your e-commerce website is probably the biggest business expense you will have. Don\u2019t let this discourage you. The cost of developing a website, even the most expensive one, is far below the cost of fitting out a traditional store, and unlike a traditional store, your online store covers the whole world, not just one town or part of a city.<\/p>\n

Today, it is quite easy to find ready-made, expertly designed and easily customizable online stores on the Internet (where else)\u2026 and, you guessed it\u00a0\u2013 for free! If you use them, you only need to adapt them to your business\u2019s brand and choose the features you need, which greatly reduces the cost of your website. The best-known and most widely used free solutions are: Magento<\/a>, WooCommerce<\/a>, PrestaShop<\/a>, Drupal<\/a>, OpenCart<\/a>, JigoShop<\/em>\u2026 All of these solutions are excellent and can meet most of an online merchant\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n

Whether to use a free solution or develop your own depends primarily on the products you offer. Your business may require specific features that free solutions do not support (very unlikely, but possible). Either way, what you will certainly want is for your online store to be not only visually attractive but, above all, functional, that is, easy for your future customers to use.<\/p>\n

Company Registration<\/h3>\n

To engage in e-commerce, as one form of trade, you need to be registered as a company or a sole proprietor. The procedure is not too complicated, and most of the steps can be completed online. All the information on how to register a company can be found on the website of Serbian Business Registers Agency<\/a>. In addition, your specific e-commerce business may require special certificates and permits. Check with the relevant government authorities and agencies so that you are ready to operate smoothly.<\/p>\n

Internet Payment Gateway (IPG)<\/h3>\n

A reliable and secure system for online authorization of payment cards and other forms of online payment is probably the most important element, one that the success of your e-commerce business can directly depend on. Put very simply, a Payment Gateway (IPG) is your online store\u2019s \u2018card terminal\u2019. Of course, a good Payment Gateway offers much more. It reduces lost sales, i.e. increases the \u2018conversion\u2019 of visitors into customers, speeds up integration and lowers its initial costs, gives you constant access to data on your payment transactions, offers a whole range of online fraud protection tools, etc.<\/p>\n

When making this choice, whether you are talking to a bank or an independent IPG, always pay special attention to the following features: transaction speed, support for multiple payment currencies, support for as many cards and other payment methods as possible, fast integration, quality technical support, mobile device support, the availability and functionality of a \u2018merchant portal\u2019, online fraud protection tools, and features for boosting online sales. More on the features of a good Payment Gateway in one of our upcoming articles.<\/p>\n

\"Kako<\/figure>\n

Internet Merchant Account with a Bank<\/h3>\n

In addition to the business account you opened when registering your company, as an online merchant you will also open a separate (pass-through) account for your online business. You open this account at one or more banks (in Serbia, there are 5 banks licensed for these services), as well as at other financial institutions (e.g. PayPal<\/strong>, Skrill<\/strong> and similar). The account enables transactions over the Internet, i.e. it is used to receive the funds from sales made through your online store.<\/p>\n

Opening such an account is not always easy. It always involves a special review of the technical and business aspects of the online merchant and its business. This applies in particular to newly registered legal entities or those with no business history with the bank in question. This is exactly why a merchant may be rejected during the application process or offered unsuitable terms by the bank and, worst of all, is often left without a reasonable explanation of why they were rejected.<\/p>\n

Rest assured that this frequent lack of understanding between banks and online merchants is not unique to our country. The same problems occur in countries with far more developed e-commerce. We will discuss this problem, and how it is solved in other markets, in one of our next posts.<\/p>\n

Other Elements<\/h3>\n

In addition to the above, pay attention to other important elements of an e-commerce business, such as:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Delivery service<\/strong> \u2013 choose the delivery service you will use to ship your products<\/li>\n
  2. Online customer support<\/strong> \u2013 ensure an ongoing line of communication with your online customers<\/li>\n
  3. Up-to-date inventory<\/strong> \u2013 Online customers are especially sensitive if you sell them something you don\u2019t have in stock<\/li>\n
  4. Mobile app\/website<\/strong> \u2013 Soon, most online purchases will be made on mobile devices. Be ready<\/li>\n
  5. SSL certificate<\/strong> \u2013 Install an SSL certificate on your domain and give customers a more secure shopping experience<\/li>\n
  6. Quality hosting<\/strong> \u2013 Choose a quality hosting provider for fast and stable operation of your online store.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    I believe this checklist<\/em> may at first glance seem overly complicated to someone thinking about starting to sell online. In reality, however, it is not. Especially when compared to starting a traditional business. Anyone who (like this author) has had the opportunity to found and run conventional businesses in any industry segment and in any country will agree\u2026.<\/p>\n

    But the reason to start an e-commerce business is certainly not that it is simpler, but that it brings countless benefits. More about these benefits, as well as other aspects of selling online\u00a0\u2013 in upcoming articles.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Tokom 2014. godine preko milion gra\u0111ana Srbije je platilo neku robu ili uslugu na Internetu \u0161to predstavlja pove\u0107anje u odnosu na prethodnu godinu od oko 30%.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2800,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1190","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/allsecure.rs\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1190","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/allsecure.rs\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/allsecure.rs\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allsecure.rs\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allsecure.rs\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1190"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/allsecure.rs\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1190\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2803,"href":"https:\/\/allsecure.rs\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1190\/revisions\/2803"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allsecure.rs\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2800"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/allsecure.rs\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1190"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allsecure.rs\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1190"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/allsecure.rs\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1190"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}