E-commerce in Moldova: opportunities and challenges

Abstract

E-commerce can be considered the most dynamic sector within the global economy due to the high level of CARG growth of revenues and the continuous penetration in cells of every market. The covid-19 pandemic provided a boost to the online retailing sector for 2020 and the early part of 2021 as customers were encouraged to shop online as opposed to using the traditional brick and mortar channels. Similar patterns have revolved around the Moldovan market in regards to the significant increase in revenues by the e-commerce sector in general and the online retailing in particular. This growth of the market size and revenues by the entire sector means that there are significant opportunities for the local retailers and online companies to explore and capture. In this context, this paper investigates the aspects that affect customer satisfaction and experience in a bid to develop a series of suggestions that can be of benefit to the Moldovan companies when devising strategies for serving the needs of Moldovan customers through online retailing. The study employs the quantitative research methods to collect primary data from online customers in Moldova in order to measure the importance of specific variables that can affect their experience and satisfaction. The findings suggest that price competitiveness, quality of the products, convenience of the shopping experience and time are aspects that are regarded as very important. On the other hand, aspects like security of payments and personal data need to be handled better by online retailers in order to avoid potential risks that can affect negatively the willingness of customers to engage in online shopping. The study contributes to the existing literature with findings that enrich the understanding of the characteristics of the Moldovan customers.