With Heureka to Croatia

Croatia is a Mediterranean country bordering Slovenia in the west, Hungary in the north, Serbia in the east and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the south. Croatia’s declaration of independence in 1991 contributed to the breakup of Yugoslavia along ethnic and religious lines. Croatia joined NATO in 2009 and the EU in 2013. Shipbuilding and tourism are major industries. A weak export base, emigration and the slow pace of privatization remain significant challenges. E-commerce in Croatia has been growing since the country joined the EU in 2013.

4,2

million population

% population active on the internet

% VAT – tax burden

About Croatia

E-commerce share of retail
E-commerce makes around 5,1% of total retail currently in Croatia. According to recent research by the Croatian daily Poslovni Dnevnik, there were approximately 1,75 million online-buyers in Croatia at the end of 2017 (Croatia's population is 4 million). In 2017, the e-commerce growth rate was 18% with 250 000 new online shoppers. Reportedly, 60% of Internet users in Croatia purchase online, and 6-10% of Internet users purchase at least once a month (a 9% increase from the previous year). Only 6% of online users have never purchased anything online yet.
Market research agencies estimate that the value of the e-commerce market in Croatia is 401,4 million EUR while Croatian retail chains generate approximately €27 million in revenue through online transactions per year. Revenue is expected to show an annual growth rate (CAGR 2019-2023) of 7,3%, resulting in a market volume of €574 mil. by 2023.The market's largest segment is Electronics & Media with a market volume of €170 mil. in 2019.
Accounting
The Croatian fiscal year starts on the 1st of January and ends on the 31st of December of the same year or any other 12-month period approved by tax authorities.
Financial statements must contain: a balance sheet, a profit and loss account, a cash-flow report, a review of the changes of the authorized capital, comments and appendix.
Croatian entrepreneurs are obligated to inform about their financial situation. Documents must be in Croatian with sums calculated in HRK every year. The fiscal year can differ from the calendar year only if an exception is applicable or if the business has seasonal character. The books must be kept up to date and stored for at least 11 years.
Taxation in Croatia
The basic VAT (in Croatian: Porez na dodanu vrijednost - PDV) is 25% and there are several reduced VATs: - 0% on medical services and health care, financial services, insurance transactions and postal services - 5% on bread, milk, technical books and text books, drugs approved by to state authorities, surgical material (implants) and scientific magazines - 13% on daily and periodical press (not for marketing purposes), oils and fats for human consumption in accord with related laws, white sugar from sugar cane or sugar beet.
Other excise duties: petroleum products, tobacco products, alcoholic beverages, non-alcoholic beverages, coffee, electricity, natural gas, coal and coke, cars (except for electromobiles) and luxury items.
Certification and Auditing
Financial documents of companies with an annual turnover over 30 mil. HRK (approx. 4,3 mil. EUR) should be checked by an independent auditor who will gurantee their trustworthiness.
Local financial institutions and associations:
In Croatia. international accounting standars (IFRS) are obligatory for large companies and companies with bonds offered through the stock exchange. Others should comply to rules set be the Croation authorities - the Croatian Committee for Financial Reporting Standards, a 9-member professional body appointed by the government.
Source: NordeaTrade.com

internet market overview

Approx. 40% of Croatian online shoppers order from stores outside Croatia, mostly from China and the EU. Leading is the Media & Electronics sector with a market value of around 170 million EUR in 2018. Online shoppers also buy clothing, shoes, fashion accessories and food. About 40% of Croatian online retailers serve exclusively the Croatian market, while another 40% are open to global markets. Concerning B2B e-commerce, 20% of Croatian enterprises are active with most business taking place in the ICT sector.

1,5

million people shopping online

% e-commerce growth rate

5,1

% online share of retail

The strongest players in e-commerce

Popular marketplaces are the local njuskalo.hr and international players as ebay.com or amazon.com. Ekupi.hr is the most popular electronic store with jeftinije.hr being the leading comparison shopping platform followed by nabava.net.

Growth of e-commerce

Revenue is expected to show an annual growth rate (CAGR 2019-2023) of 7,3%, resulting in a market volume of €574 mil. by 2023.

Popular payment types

Bank transfers remain the most popular payment choice in Croatia.

E-commerce revenue

With an annual e-commerce turnover of 0,4 bn. EUR approx. €360 million in revenue is collected through online transactions. Buying physical goods dominates over buying services among e‑shop customers.

Internet penetration

Croatia has at least 2,8 mil. internet users with a 66,9% internet penetration in 2019 expecting to hit 71,2% by 2023 (statista.com).

Favorite shopping categories

I want to expand

our platform Jeftinije.hr

Jeftinije.hr is the largest comparison shopping platform in the region with more than 250 e-stores, 6 000 brands, over 1 million products and more than 1 600 000 daily active offers. Jeftinije operates as a part of the leading comparison shopping platform in the region.

The 4 web portals ceneje.si, jeftinije.hr, idealno.rs and idealno.ba make it possible to compare products, find sellers and compare prices in Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia.

million users per month

hundred e‑shops on the platform

% platform growth rate

how to get listed on Jeftinije.hr

Translate your e‑shop to Croatian language

The main condition is to have a shop in the Croatian language. The platform is based on a postpaid model, thus you will get a contract of cooperation.

Register on our platform

You can register on our registration page (in Croatian) or contact us and we will process the registration for you. Prepare your XML feed as required in the XML feed specification.

Let us help you to use the maximum of our platform

We highly recommend purchasing of Trusted shop badge, especially for the new shops entering the market. It is important to show that you are a trustworthy shop. Do you want to maximize your sales? Join our bidding service.

We can also offer custom data reports of the categories you are interested in. Just contact us below.

need a hand? contact us

Irena Stanjko Mersol

00386 51 696 738

irena.stanjko.mersol@ceneje.si