Georgian Post to Launch an E-commerce Platform in May 2018

Georgian Post is to launch a new e-commerce platform to start operating in May 2018, the Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, Dimitry Kumsishvili, announced last week.

The e-commerce platform is expected to enable Georgian consumers, as well as small and medium-sized businesses to order, buy and sell products through the platform app, within Georgia and outside the country, while Georgian Post will be in charge of delivery services.

Minister Kumishvili noted that there are numerous examples of how the existing leading e-commerce companies today, such as Ebay, Amazon, and Alibaba, have changed the culture and habits of consumers. “On one hand, e-commerce makes it easier for businesses to sell their products globally and, on the other, it gives a wide and competitive choice for consumers,” Kumsishvili said.

E-commerce development is “impossible without postal services functioning correctly,” he said, emphasizing the importance of the new e-commerce platform in Georgia.

Georgian Post has already set up one of the components of the e-commerce platform, a website called Maleo, designed to serve those living in the regions of Georgia, enabling them to order products from international online shopping platforms and receive them in Georgian Post’s service centers with the same tariffs as applied in the bigger cities across the country.

Levan Chikvaidze, General Director of Georgian Post, presented the Maleo service:

“With the platform we’re launching, customers will be able to buy or sell products via e-commerce; local entrepreneurs will have a chance to export their products. The platform has both social and commercial components. Maleo is a service which enables customers in Georgia to buy products through e-commerce platforms internationally and receive them at their actual addresses. Its difference from any other companies operating in Georgia is that those living in Mestia, Khulo, or Akhmeta will receive products, delivered for the same price as those who live in Tbilisi, Kutaisi, or other big cities of Georgia,” Chikvaidze said.

During the presentation of the Maleo service, Minister Kumsishvili noted that a law on e-commerce is to be adopted in 2018, expected to bring into force European regulations for e-commerce in Georgia.

“Adopting this law will establish international standards with regards to the e-commerce in Georgia, increase trust towards online shopping platforms, and be seen as a possibility to grow Georgia’s export potential, helping local small and medium businesses to export their products to the international markets,” Kumsishvili states.

Nino Gugunishvili