TURKISH COMPANIES GROW IN THE GLOBAL ARENA WITH E-EXPORT SUPPORT PACKAGE

As the contribution of e-commerce to the national economy increases rapidly, Türkiye’s e-export growth is gaining momentum with new support programs, platforms, comprehensive resources, and events. Innovative solutions offered by the Ministry of Trade focus on increasing the competitiveness of Turkish companies in global markets

According to the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) global economic reports, while the world economy was 105.7 trillion dollars in 2023 as Gross Domestic Product (GDP), it reached 110.1 trillion dollars in 2024 with a growth of 4.17 percent. When we look at the e-commerce situation in our country, the share of e-commerce volume in gross domestic product (GDP) (E-GDP) increased by 33.3 percent in 2023 compared to the previous year and reached 6.8 percent.

The compound annual growth rate of e-GDP between 2019 and 2023 was 26 percent. In other words, digitalization and changing consumption habits have transformed global trade dynamics, significantly increasing the share of e-commerce in overall retail trade. While technological advances have created new opportunities for both businesses and consumers, they have also necessitated the development of e-commerce with different business models. This transformation has required a focus on direct-to-consumer (B2C) sales models as well as systems that support business-to-business (B2B) commerce.

GROWTH STRATEGIES STRENGTHENED WITH E-EXPORT SUPPORT PACKAGE

Our Ministry of Trade closely follows the transformation in the global e-commerce ecosystem and develops innovative policies to increase the competitiveness of our exporters. In this context, the e-export support package, which facilitates access to international markets, includes solutions specific to business models, and supports scalable growth strategies, was put into practice. As of 2023, the e-export support package, which started to receive applications, not only offers financial incentives, but also develops a holistic perspective for our companies to gain sustainable competitive advantage.

In the process of designing the support programs, we interacted with all components of the e-export ecosystem and meticulously analyzed structural obstacles such as delivery time, logistics costs, return mechanisms, marketing budgets, payment systems, packaging standards, and localization processes that our companies face in accessing international markets. In this framework, dynamic and adaptive support mechanisms customized according to business models were created, and policy sets shaped with a tailor-made approach were put into practice. The ultimate goal is to ensure that Turkish brands achieve a sustainable position on a global scale.

DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND SUPPORT MECHANISMS FOR E-EXPORT

The Ministry is implementing different strategies to raise awareness of e-export and accelerating this process through digital platforms. As it is known, the Easy Export Platform, makes it possible to access all the information that all entrepreneurs with export targets will need from a single platform and provides digital consultancy services to companies at the point of identifying target markets with an advanced technology infrastructure, including artificial intelligence applications, was put into service on August 28, 2020.

The E-Easy Export Platform (E-EXP), which is offered at the same internet address (domain) as KİP and included in the Vision Document for the Turkish Century, was developed as an important tool for entrepreneurs who want to engage in e-export and companies already operating in this field.

The platform’s Smart E-Export Robot enables users to analyze competitors in target markets and make strategic decisions. In addition, the Chatbot module enables users to get fast and comprehensive answers to their e-export-related questions. E-KIP guides users who want to start the e-export process with the Step-by-Step E-Export Module.

The Platform, whose first phase was launched in August 2024 and the second phase in February 2025, and whose launch ceremony was held on February 28, 2025, to announce it to the public, provides important support in the end-to-end management of e-export processes.

GLOBAL E-EXPORT EVENTS AND STRATEGIC TARGETS

The Ministry also develops comprehensive strategies for our companies to help them grasp the dynamics of e-export more effectively. In this context, the Ministry has published the “Guide to E-Export Supports” for companies that are new to the support legislation to develop a more in-depth understanding of the legislation. This guide has been carefully prepared to raise the awareness of our companies about the legislation and to enable them to realize their applications more efficiently.

In addition to legislation-oriented studies, detailed guides have also been developed on the processes of opening online stores and digital marketing strategies to strengthen the effectiveness of our companies in international markets. In addition, the “Guide to E-Export Markets and Country Customs Practices” was published to ensure that exporters can take strategic steps towards global markets more accurately, and the “Guide to ChatGPT and Artificial Intelligence Tools in E-Export” was created for the integration of artificial intelligence tools into e-export processes. All these materials were made available on the official website of the Ministry.

Our organizations also play an important role in deepening the interaction in the sector and creating widespread impacts. In this context, the “Ankara E-Export Summit” was organized on 8-10 November 2023 and the “E-Export Search Conference” was organized on 26-28 April 2024. On 4-5 September 2024, “Istanbul Global E-Export Summit (IGEXX)”, one of the largest e-export events, was held with the participation of 3000 senior officials from 30 global and regional marketplaces and other stakeholders in the e-commerce ecosystem.

In addition to all these organizations, regular meetings with global marketplaces are part of the intensive efforts to strengthen the presence of Turkish exporters on international platforms. Türkiye’s e-export growth continues in parallel with the rapid digitalization of global trade. However, to achieve even greater goals, it is crucial for our companies to quickly adapt to innovative technologies and make effective use of government support. We will continue to work with all our strengths together with our exporters to carry our country to the position it deserves in the rapidly digitalizing global trade.