Slovakia, e-commerce and logistics

The Slovak economy is one of the fastest growing in Europe. But does the state of the e-commerce market live up to the economics? Read on to find out.

Image of Snp bridge, Slovakia

Why Slovakia?

Slovakia was part of Czechoslovakia, until 1993 when it became an independent country. It borders Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Ukraine and Hungary, with no access to sea waters. Since 2004, Slovakia has belonged to the European Union and from 2009 to the euro area.

Although Slovakia is among the smaller Central European countries, its significant growth of ecommerce means it competes with many large European countries. It is now the 57th largest market for e-commerce, placing it ahead of the Dominican Republic.

Revenue is expected to show a compound annual growth rate (CAGR 2024-2028) of 7.2%, resulting in a projected market volume of US$2,864.0 million by 2028. Global e-commerce sales are expected to increase over the next few years.1

  • USD$2,125 millions2
    E-commerce revenue 2024
  • 11.6%
    Revenue change

The e-commerce landscape

Online shopping is becoming an increasingly common way of purchasing goods in Slovakia. The majority of Slovaks use their mobile phones when making a purchase, so mobile versions of shopping sites are important.

Current e-commerce user penetration is about 80%. Young people make up the largest share of online shoppers, and almost half of buyers (42%) are people aged 25-34. The following generation between 35-44 comprises 22% of the market and 18-24 are 13%. The remaining 23% are customers over 45 years old.

According to external customer surveys, Slovak women shop more than men – 68% vs 32%. The most popular product categories are clothing, footwear, electronics, cosmetics, drugstores and sporting goods.3

Slovaks prefer to choose from several delivery options. Brick and mortar collect stores that have an e-commerce arm and allow free shipping to the store are becoming more popular.

Price is a key factor for online shopping in Slovakia. Up to 59% of customers decide according to whether the store offer is advantageous for them.4

Opportunities

Major buying dates in Slovakia include Christmas holidays, Black Friday, Valentine’s Day and Easter. Cross-border e-commerce is common. The most popular e-shops for Slovaks are eBay, Amazon DE, Alibaba and AliExpress. Among the top 100 Slovak stores, eBay is used more than Amazon for online marketplace activities.

98% percent of 16-24-year- olds in Slovakia access the internet daily.5

Logistics

Because Slovakia has no access to the sea, road transport dominates the logistics. Over 200 million tonnes of goods are transported this way annually. Despite this, Slovakia has two ports: Port of Bratislava and Port of Komarno, as it’s one of the Danube delta regions. About 1.5 million goods are transported by railways each year.

The airport in nearby Vienna is one of the biggest airports in Europe, so Slovak logistics are also sorted this way. Air transport is also quite important – 400,000 tons of goods are transported this way. Slovakia has six airports – Bratislava Airport, Kosice Airport, Poprad-Tatry Airport, Sliac Airport, Zilina Airport, Piestany Airport.6

You can familiarise yourself with the weights and prices of sending a package to Slovakia using our helpful shipping rates chart: https://samos-e.com/pricing/samos-shipping-rates.

Keep in mind

For Slovak customers, convenience wins when shopping. Over 83% of online shoppers choose home delivery of packages. It is followed by delivery to the post office, gathering of a consignment at work, and the use of a pick-up point which is becoming increasingly popular.

It’s also worth bearing in mind that just under half of Slovakian customers leave the shopping cart before ordering goods due to insufficient shipping options. Therefore, the flexibility of an online store and a wide range of shipping methods are key.7

What our experts say:

“The Slovak economy is developing rapidly, and so is its e-commerce. A flexible and comprehensive online store, plus good shipping options and prices, will help secure business.”

Simon Perkins, Commercial Director, SAMOS

To find out more about how SAMOS can help you achieve fast and cost- effective deliveries to Slovakia get in touch today

1. https://ecommercedb.com/markets/sk/all

2. https://www.statista.com/outlook/emo/ecommerce/slovakia

3. https://www.trade.gov/knowledge-product/slovakia-ecommerce

4. https://www.mergado.com/blog/slovak-e-commerce-overview-2020

5. https://www.trade.gov/knowledge-product/slovakia-ecommerce

6. https://ecommercegermany.com/blog/european-ecommerce-overview-slovakia

7. https://www.mergado.com/blog/slovak-e-commerce-overview-20