06.05.2025 Ankara

The President of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (TOBB), M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, attended the introductory meeting of the e-Commerce Outlook Report in Türkiye, hosted by Minister of Trade Ömer Bolat. In his speech here, Hisarcıklıoğlu asked Minister Bolat to carry a more active role in the regulation of the e-commerce sector by TOBB and sector councils as the institution that knows the sector best.

Hisarcıklıoğlu, said in his speech at the meeting: “Today, the e-commerce sector operates under an intense tax burden. The sector is also subject to the simultaneous regulations of many public institutions. Our e-commerce platforms are making great efforts to comply with these regulations. Many parties in this ecosystem, from platforms to sellers, from consumers to couriers, from cargo companies to financial institutions, have issues waiting for a solution before the public. I would like to emphasize this in particular. While seeking solutions to these problems, a delicate balance that encourages growth should be established without ignoring the dynamism, employment contribution and export potential of the sector. Steps to be taken with dialog and common sense between the public and private sectors will ensure the healthy and fair development of e-commerce.”

Pointing out that the sector has recorded extraordinary growth in the last 5 years, Hisarcıklıoğlu said that during the pandemic, the sector has become a lifeblood and has become a great opportunity especially for small businesses. Emphasizing that we are in a period when global uncertainties, fluctuations and conflicts are at the top of the agenda, TOBB President said, “Despite this, the export data for 2024 presents a picture in which Türkiye’s production and entrepreneurship capacity is once again registered. We are following the steps taken to increase the share of high value-added and advanced technology products in our exports with great satisfaction. We believe that the efforts carried out in this direction will make concrete and strong contributions to the export figures for 2025. In this sense, our business world, especially our SMEs, must keep pace with digitalization in order to maintain their competitive power. E-commerce is the most important carrier of this transformation.”

- The most valuable showcase is now the screens of cell phones

Stating that in the past it was enough to find a good location and open a shop to sell a product, but today the most valuable showcase is the screens of cell phones, Hisarcıklıoğlu said: “Today, thanks to e-commerce, our producer in a village in Anatolia can sell his goods all over the world. Businesses that use this opportunity correctly are writing a success story that crosses borders. In this direction, the share of e-commerce is constantly increasing. The sector report prepared by our Ministry and shared with the public today is a very important study in terms of understanding the dynamics of e-commerce. The report in question is a very valuable study not only with its content but also with its scope.”

Mentioning that as TOBB, they organized e-commerce trainings with the support of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges in all 81 provinces, Hisarcıklıoğlu said that they brought together e-commerce and e-export stakeholders, new entrepreneurs and university students. Stating that they conveyed the importance of digitalization to more than 100 thousand SMEs with different events, TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “We prepared campaigns to increase the sales of our women entrepreneurs and geographically marked products through e-commerce. In addition, we have implemented the “Trust Seal” application with the authorization of our Ministry of Trade in order to spread e-commerce to the base, increase the trust of consumers and for our SMEs to grow safely on the internet.

Our e-commerce companies that receive the Trust Seal design the technical infrastructure of their websites in accordance with the legislation, while protecting customer data against possible internet piracy with regular penetration tests. I would like to congratulate our 149 companies that have received the “trust seal” by undergoing tough controls so far. Our TOBB E-commerce sector council and its esteemed chairman Mr. Ozan Acar are also working with all their strength for the growth of the sector. Türkiye’s accumulation and experience in e-commerce and digital trade in recent years has become a very valuable model not only for our country but also for our region. With the visionary support of our Ministry, we have the potential to export this experience to a wide geography from the Turkic Republics to the Arabian Peninsula, from the Balkans to the Caucasus. Türkiye is becoming a country that exports not only goods but also systems, knowledge and experience. In this framework, we can build a much stronger economic cooperation ground in our region by transferring the know-how we have gained in the process of digitalization of trade to friendly and brotherly countries.”