Our team attended the “E-commerce: Accelerate!” conference this month. Hosted by the Macedonian e-Commerce Association, this regional event had its largest edition yet. For the fifth consecutive year, it gathered 600 professionals and 30 experts. The event focused on four main topics and featured six keynote presentations, four panel discussions, one case study, and numerous networking opportunities. The program explored the possibilities e-commerce offers and the changing habits of buyers. Here are our team’s impressions from the event.
IWC: Was the event worth visiting?
Andrej Nankov:
Definitely. If you want to see what’s happening with small businesses in Macedonia and the region, it’s a must-visit. We saw many entrepreneurs inspired by global brands, looking to expand their businesses.
Marko Gichevski:
Yes, for me, it was a first-of-its-kind experience. We saw several local and regional companies related to e-commerce. We heard about their challenges and considered how we handle similar issues in our IWCommerce platform.
Ivana Nikolikj
Absolutely! Although our focus at ⋮IWConnect is on the global market, it was positive to see the regional sector’s growth. We heard the latest updates and learned about the challenges and next steps needed.
IWC: Did you meet people with similar interests? Are people and companies in North Macedonia e-commerce ready?
Andrej Nankov:
Most visitors were companies from Macedonia and the Balkan region, sharing their business experiences. Several panel discussions stressed the business challenges and ways to resolve them. Regional laws and transportation problems were the main issues discussed.
Marko Gichevski
Yes, we met people operating in this area with similar interests. Unfortunately, many face the same local problem—limited purchasing power. Even with the best e-commerce platform, only a small portion of people in Macedonia or the Balkans use the Internet to complete orders. Many suggested going global to reach more people.
Ivana Nikolikj
Networking was the most important part of the conference for me. Many attendees shared their experiences and highlighted challenges with the fragmented regional market. Each country has different regulations and delivery system problems. A mutual goal is to align regional regulations with the EU to enable faster, easier delivery. The conference showed steady progress in Macedonia and the region, which needs acceleration.
IWC: How would you rate the event?
Andrej Nankov
I’d rate the event a solid 9 out of 10.
Marko Gichevski
9 out of 10. Almost all topics were interesting and offered planning opportunities.
Ivana Nikolikj
For the Macedonian/regional market, it was a good event. It covered important topics on accelerating online shopping and focused on real market challenges.
IWC: If you compare our e-commerce platform with other platforms, where does it stand?
Andrej Nankov
I believe we are on the right track. I expected to see a competitor’s platform at the event, but our company focuses on the global market. IWCommerce can drive small and large businesses. Our product is a breakthrough for this region, and we should be proud.
Marko Gichevski
As the Product Owner, I’d say we are almost better than the competition. We are close to an international solution. The conference was for local businesses, but we still face problems with global services like PayPal and Stripe. Our efforts are focused on European and US customers. Speakers emphasized the importance of multi-language support, currency options, and integrations with ERP, CRM, invoicing, and inventory management. We are building these flexible solutions today.
Ivana Nikolikj
Our IWCommerce platform is designed for the international market. With 99% of our clients in Europe and North America, we are ahead of the competition in this region. We offer unique e-commerce solutions for SMEs and large global corporations.
IWC: Would you go to the conference again?
Andrej Nankov
Yes, and I’d invite our sales and marketing team to present who we are and what we offer.
Marko Gichevski
Yes, I’d like to visit again. I learned several things that I’ll use in our platform. Networking and understanding our competition were valuable.
Ivana Nikolikj
Definitely. I can compare it to last year’s conference and look forward to presenting our IWCommerce platform next year
