eCommerce Academy: Social Media, the main driver of traffic for 89% of the online stores in CEE in 2023; PPC declines while SEO and Influencer relations grow

• 35% of the online stores in CEE expected to end 2023 with up to 20% higher revenue
• While half of the online businesses in the region still do not sell cross-border, 32% plan to start their international expansion
• 7% of the eCommerce businesses in CEE aim to start cross-border sales to Romania
• More relevant eCommerce trends, to be revealed at the Balkan eCommerce Summit in Sofia, on April 4-5, 2024

Social Media remained the main driver of traffic for 89% of the online stores in CEE in 2023, relatively stable on the year, while PPC declines from 43% to 37%, according to a study co-developed by Mediapost Hit Mail Bulgaria and partners, including eCommerce Academy.

Meanwhile the contribution to the overall traffic of the eCommerce stores in the region grows for both SEO, from 28% last year to 34%, and Influencer relations, from 11% to 15% at end-2023.

“Social media and PPC still remain the main channels to drive traffic to the online stores but, as within any line of business, the size of the allocated budget determines the impact in the overall traffic. Other channels, like offline events, influencer relations, banners and affiliates are starting to close the gap and grow in terms of relevance. Traffic, sales, trends and much more insights will be available within the largest regional industry event we will be hosting in Sofia, next year – the Balkan eCommerce Summit,” said Nikola Ilchev, eCommerce Academy and Balkan eCommerce Summit founder.

While in terms of attracting traffic the main drivers remained relatively stable in 2023, cross-border appeal is growing for the eCommerce businesses. In 2023, half of the online businesses in the region still did not sell cross-border, but 32% planned to start – slightly up from the 30% who stated their willingness to go international in the previous year.

If 7% of the eCommerce businesses part of the study were already selling their products and services abroad in Romania, 7% more of the respondents claim they intend to start selling internationally, to Romania, as well. The main challenge for successful cross-border sales remained, in 2023 as well, the courier delivery service, for a third of the respondents.

eCommerce Academy is a community of e-merchants, online stores service providers and experts in eCommerce, founded in Bulgaria in 2016. Among various industry relevant events, eCommerce Academy will hold, for the third consecutive year, the Balkan eCommerce Summit in Sofia, on April 4-5, 2023. More information about the event is available at