GUEST ARTICLE
This article has been provided by Ecommerce Europe’s national association in Bulgaria: Bulgarian E-commerce Association
Bulgarian E-commerce Association (BEA) announces its 8th consecutive edition “PASSPORT 2025 of the e-commerce industry in Bulgaria” with figures, trends, volume of the B2C (business to end consumer) market and ranking of online stores in Bulgaria, based on surveys and research conducted by BEA and results from the European Ecommerce Report 2025. This year’s edition is supported by the SEO agency Serpact.
“The Bulgarian B2C (business to consumer) e-commerce market continues its sustainable development, establishing its position as one of the most dynamic digital sectors in Eastern Europe. It has doubled in four years and now represents nearly 13.5% of the market in Eastern Europe. The e-GDP ratio in Bulgaria is 2.53% in 2025 and shows potential for growth. In 2025, the total volume of online sales of products and services in the country is estimated at over 2.69 billion euros, which represents an approximate growth of 15% compared to 2024. The main drivers of growth are the accelerated digitalization of retail, the growing importance of mobile devices and increased consumer trust in online payments and deliveries,” commented Janet Naydenova, Chairwoman of BEA, citing data from “PASSPORT 2025 of the e-commerce industry in Bulgaria”.
“It is a privilege for Serpact to be a partner of the Bulgarian E-Commerce Association in the “PASSPORT 2025 of the e-commerce industry in Bulgaria” – a project providing key data and market analysis. This year’s edition confirms that e-commerce is changing dynamically, and businesses need to closely monitor the development of the digital ecosystem, including the new reality of AI search and answers.
We at Serpact respond to this challenge with AI Entry – a platform for measuring visibility in ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and other AI systems. Because only the adoption of new technologies and practices will allow online merchants to quickly expand their customer base, reaching the billions of users of AI assistants,” says Nikola Minkov, CEO of Serpact.
B2C online sales of goods & services /in billion euro/
Source: PASSPORT 2025 of e-commerce industry in Bulgaria
*forecast data
The leading reason for the increase in e-commerce purchases among consumers is the convenience of e-commerce and consumers’ trust in online payments and deliveries. Already over 55% of online consumers in Bulgaria aged 16-74 shop online and this percentage will continue to grow. The convenience of e-commerce is the new loyalty. The largest percentage 95.5% of online shoppers in 2025 purchased goods and/or services from Bulgarian online stores, 27.4% from online stores in European Union countries, 12.9% – outside the European Union.
Data from a study by the Bulgarian E-commerce Association, conducted in the period August – October 2025 with a scope of over 4.9 million online orders shows a trend towards an increase in contactless deliveries to a courier’s locker, click & collect (order online with collection from a physical store) and an increase in bank and mobile payments and card payments on account of cash on delivery.
Consumer satisfaction
Many more people are buying online and more and more retailers are selling online. The easy combination of online and offline shopping makes the whole process even more transparent and secure for consumers. Online shopping has a high level of security and provides more rights to consumers, such as the right to return the order within 14 days of receipt, without giving a reason, and to have the money refunded in the same way as it was paid for, within 14 days, without questions from the trader in case of exercising the right of withdrawal. A study by the Bulgarian E-Commerce Association covering 4.9 million online orders showed that in 7.1% of all orders, online buyers made use of their right of withdrawal within 14 days.
Development trends and potential
Eco-friendly packaging, carbon-neutral shipping, sustainable sourcing, logistics and manufacturing are becoming increasingly popular advantages for online retailers. Online consumers, especially Millennials as a stable group of buyers interested in environmentally friendly products and driving green consumerism, are paying attention to the impact of businesses on the environment and society and are choosing more carefully the manufacturers and retailers whose goods they consume.
The growth of e-commerce offers an opportunity to rethink the use of secondary materials and goods, expand and encourage reuse. The e-commerce sector plays a key role in connecting businesses and consumers to the second-hand goods market, which is booming and is expected to double in size in the next 4 years.
Bulgaria adopts the euro on 1 January 2026, marking a historic step in its economic integration within the European Union. Joining the eurozone is expected to improve financial stability, reduce currency risks and lower transaction costs for both businesses and consumers. For e-commerce, the transition will facilitate cross-border trade, simplify pricing and payments, and strengthen consumer confidence by removing currency conversion barriers. This development positions Bulgaria as a more competitive player within the single European market and provides new growth opportunities for Bulgarian online merchants.
A challenge for businesses is the dynamic change in the business environment in terms of legislation and industry regulations that Bulgarian businesses must implement at the national level. A better balance is needed between implementing new regulations and maintaining competitiveness and sustainable growth. At the same time, unfair competition from e-commerce players based outside the EU continues to grow, failing to comply with regulations for the protection of consumer rights and product safety.
The Bulgarian E-Commerce Association expects a smooth double-digit growth in 2026 compared to 2025, as the B2C e-commerce market will continue to grow, innovate and develop. The e-GDP ratio in Bulgaria is 2.53% in 2025 and shows potential for growth. In Europe, the e-GDP parameter is 3.84%, in Greece it is 7.86%, in Romania it is 3.51%. Looking at the European continent, e-commerce represents about 16% of total retail trade. According to Euromonitor, B2C e-commerce in Bulgaria is 8% of the entire retail market and shows the great potential for growth of the e-commerce market in the country.
The “PASSPORT 2025 of the e-commerce industry in Bulgaria” can be downloaded for free after registration at: https://passport.beabg.com/en/
About BEA
Bulgarian E-commerce Association (BEA) is a non-profit association, carrying out activities for the public benefit, which unites companies from the entire ecosystem, developing e-commerce in Bulgaria – electronic stores, platforms, e-commerce services, electronic payments, logistics, etc. . services related to e-commerce.
BEA aims to support the creation of a good environment for the development of e-commerce business in the country, to create and support good practices among online merchants in the direction of greater consumer satisfaction, and to promote better communication with institutions and the media.
The main priority of BEA is to cooperate with the institutions in the creation of normative documents related to the implementation of e-commerce, as well as in the control of their implementation.
BEA is a member of Ecommerce Europe: https://ecommerce-europe.eu/
For more information: https://beabg.com
About SEO Agency Serpact
Serpact is a leading SEO agency specializing in website optimization for search engines and AI systems. The company offers consulting services, SEO analysis, and creation and distribution of relevant content that attracts a target audience and generates business results.
With a portfolio of nearly 3,500 successfully implemented projects for clients from all over the world and over 20 international awards (Global Search Awards, Web Excellence Awards, Vega Awards, etc.), Serpact applies its accumulated experience in developing innovative products and solutions to support companies in a digital environment.
Serpact is a full member of the Bulgarian E-commerce Association and a member of the Association’s Board of Directors.
Learn more about Serpact >> https://serpact.com