New Global E-Commerce Platforms Eye Georgian Market as Parcel Volumes Surge – Inex Group
Rising demand for cross-border e-commerce in Georgia is attracting growing interest from international online trading platforms, according to Mikheil Babunashvili, Head of Business Development at Inex Group.
In an interview with Business Partner, Babunashvili noted that while Georgia remains a relatively small market, the number of online purchases by Georgian consumers from foreign platforms continues to grow rapidly, leading to a significant increase in parcel volumes.
“This growing trend is driving new interest in Georgia,” Babunashvili said. “Alongside several Chinese platforms that have already entered the market, large Turkish, American, and European online retailers are also planning direct entry. We are currently in negotiations with some of them, although we cannot name them yet.”
According to Babunashvili, the leader in parcel volume is now China, with shipments doubling compared to previous years. Countries like Italy, Greece, and the United States have also seen increases, while parcel volume from Turkey has declined significantly as customers shift to Chinese platforms.
Babunashvili identified logistics infrastructure limitations as one of the biggest challenges for the sector. “The issue became especially clear when Temu entered Georgia. The local postal system was unprepared for the volume surge, and we’re still experiencing delays due to a shortage of terminals and customs officers,” he said.
To address this, Inex Group will open a new terminal at Tbilisi Airport within a month, which is expected to improve parcel processing capacity. However, Babunashvili emphasized that a single terminal won’t be sufficient to support future growth and called for greater investment in logistics infrastructure.
In 2024, parcel volume in Georgia reached 13 million, a 30% increase compared to the previous year. With more global platforms preparing to enter the Georgian market, pressure on the country’s logistics capacity is expected to intensify.
