site.btaBulgarian Online Stores Increase by 10% in Six Months

Bulgarian Online Stores Increase by 10% in Six Months

Sofia, August 20 (BTA) - Bulgarian online stores increased by 10
 per cent in six months between February and July 2015, a local
web hosting company said on Thursday, citing data about the
online platforms installed by its clients.

With the most popular online trading system, OpenCart, platform
installations increased by 10.94 per cent, those with Magento
increased by 10.1 per cent, and with Prestashop by 8.5 per cent.
 A 25 per cent rise was recorded in the use of Shopiko, which is
 an SaaS platform.

The rise in online stores shows the enterprising spirit of
Bulgarians who want to create functioning business models, the
company said. Creating an online store has become very easy,
with SaaS platforms considerably lowering price levels and
minimizing the technical knowledge required to start an online
business.

The study further shows that technological products and clothing
 remain the most frequently bought items online in Bulgaria. The
 data corresponds to the upward trend in the sector reported by
Ecommerce Europe. According to the international organization,
Bulgaria registered a 27 per cent rise in online shopping in
2014 and retained its fourth place in online sales in Eastern
Europe.

EU-wide, the internet economy accounted for 2.45 per cent of GDP
 in 2014, and in 2015 Europe's online shoppers are expected to
increase by 25 per cent compared with 2014. Ecommerce Europe has
 observed the emergence of a business model combining online
stores and conventional outlets, which is explained by the fact
that a growing number of people use the internet to research the
 items they want to buy and then go to physical stores to buy
them.