Moldova’s e-commerce market is accelerating far faster than global averages in 2025, positioning the country for significant digital economic gains despite still being the least digitalized retail market in Europe.
A new study by AmCham Moldova, supported by the Innovate Moldova Programme, shows the country reached MDL 8.93 billion (€463.9 million) in online sales in 2024 — a 15% increase year-on-year. More than 2,800 online shops are now active in the country, double the number from just two years ago, and digital payments continue to replace cash as consumers adopt more modern purchasing habits.
This rapid expansion is happening while global e-commerce growth is stabilizing. Worldwide online retail is forecast to slow to mid-single-digit growth by 2026 (ECDB), yet Moldova is bucking that trend with double-digit gains. Independent regional analyses indicate Eastern Europe as a whole is experiencing strong digital momentum driven by improved internet access, mobile commerce, and wider adoption of European-standard payment tools.
Across the Eastern Europe region, e-commerce saw a nominal growth of 18 % in 2024, compared to 6% in Western Europe, as internet access improves and online payment systems become more common. In Moldova specifically, faster adoption of digital payments, increasing smartphone use, and improved logistics infrastructure, enabling cross-border purchases, are transforming the way people shop.
At the same time, local businesses are also expanding their reach: electronics, home appliances, cosmetics and food delivery remain the strongest-selling categories, while cross-border shopping continues to account for a large share of total spend.
However, Moldova still has substantial room to grow. Retail e-commerce penetration stands at just 5.7%, making it the lowest in Europe. Cash on delivery remains dominant payment method, accounting for 65.4% of transactions. The report notes a structural deficiency too: an estimated 70% of online sellers lack real-time inventory management systems, resulting in 10–30% of orders being canceled due to stock issues. This highlights a key challenge: as digital demand rises, operational infrastructure must catch up for the market to scale efficiently.
Another persistant challenge is that online shopping is predominant among younger, digitally native consumers (under 40 years old). The access to e-commerce is also often limited to urban dwellers rather than citizens from more remote countryside areas. There’s still an issue of so-called digital divide as about 70% of the adult population does not have access to online digital-driven purchases from technical reasons.
Nevertheless, the overall growth tendencies hint that the nationwide trend is toward continuous digitazing the shopping experience. According to Sergiu Rabii, Director of the Innovate Moldova Programme, this surge is a structural shift, not a temporary spike. The growth of merchants, uptake of digital payments, and deeper linkages with European supply chains signal a maturing digital retail environment.
With logistics networks expanding, fulfillment models diversifying, and regulatory alignment with the EU advancing, Moldova’s digital retail sector is entering a transformative phase. As AmCham Moldova notes, high-quality data and modern regulation will be essential to unlock the country’s full e-commerce potential and strengthen its role in regional digital trade.
