Bulgaria - Commercial Guide
Bulgaria Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in bulgaria, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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eCommerce
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Overview & current market trends

Revenue in the worldwide eCommerce market is projected to exceed USD 3 trillion in 2025. (Source:  https://www.statista.com/outlook/243/130/ecommerce/bulgaria). Revenue is expected to show an annual growth rate (CAGR 2023-2027) of 12.32%, resulting in a projected market volume of USD 2.704 billion by 2027. The market’s largest segment is electronics, with a projected market volume of USD 694 million. User penetration will be 53.1% and is expected to hit 65.6% by 2027. The average revenue per user (ARPU) is expected to reach USD 478.80.

Popular eCommerce Sites and Platforms in Bulgaria 

The five main e-commerce categories are Electronics & Media, with 38.7% of eCommerce revenue, followed by Food & Personal Care, with 20.7%; Fashion at 17.6%; Furniture & Appliances with 14.1%; and Toys, Hobby & DIY with the remaining 8.9%.

The biggest player in the Bulgarian eCommerce market is emag.bg, followed by obuvki.bg; and technopolis.bg. Together, the top three stores account for 36.3% of online revenue in Bulgaria.

Challenges with eCommerce in Bulgaria

Technical malfunctioning of website during ordering or payment
•    Speed of delivery longer than indicated
•    Difficulties in finding information concerning warrantees and other legal rights
•    Wrong or damaged goods/services delivered

eCommerce services 

All major eCommerce services are available in Bulgaria via local and international specialized companies Solutions offered include: 
•    Consulting  
•    Design and Implementation 
•    Online Marketing 
•    Platforms & Technology - such as back-office integration  

eCommerce Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)

For more information about eCommerce IPR, please refer to the Investment Climate Statement 2025

Online Payment

Paying for goods purchased online is fairly easy, secure, and straightforward. Bulgaria uses online payment methods similar to the rest of Europe. Credit and debit cards are popular, with all major credit cards used online since 2016. Alternate payment methods include SEPA, Mint, Mobiamo, and TrustPay, and local payment application www.epay.bg, which is the Bulgarian system for electronic payments launched in 1999. It offers customers a way to make payments for goods and services with bank cards and microaccounts and a way to receive online payments through their microaccount. “EPay” LLC, a certified payment service provider (Level 1 Service Provider) in accordance with the rules of international card organizations. Since 2007, ePay.bg has the highest security certification from VISA and MasterCard.

The Digital Payments market segment is led by consumer transactions and includes payments for products and services that are made over the Internet as well as mobile payments at point-of-sale (POS) via smartphone applications. The following are not included in this segment: transactions between businesses (business-to-business payments), bank transfers initiated online (that are not in connection with products and services purchased online), and payment transactions at the point-of-sale where mobile card readers (terminals) are used.

Mobile eCommerce

Using applications for mobile eCommerce is rising, especially among the younger generation. Excellent broadband network coverage—with 4G and 5G service — makes it very appealing to use. All major e-stores have developed mobile applications to support their clients. 

Digital Marketing

Digital marketing technologies and techniques such as Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Search Engine Marketing (SEM), social media marketing, display advertising, and digital campaigns are widely used in Bulgaria to make products, goods, and services more popular and targeted to a desired audience. 

Major Buying Holidays

‘Black Friday’ initiatives are not new to Bulgarians and have been used for years to replicate the effective sales campaigns introduced in the United States.  Another popular eCommerce practice is ‘Cyber Monday’ following American Thanksgiving, which has also shown good results for online sellers. One of the local trends in eCommerce is introduction of the so-called group shopping websites where one can get a deal on airfare, hotel reservation, and clothes. Examples are: www.deals.bg; www.grabo.bg; www.zadrujno.bg.

Social Media

Facebook is the most widely used social media channel in Bulgaria, with roughly 4 million Bulgarians having Facebook accounts. More than 62.9% of Bulgarians also use Youtube, followed by 25.5% who use Instagram; 14% percent who use LinkedIn; and 3.9 percent who use X, formerly known as Twitter.

Trade Promotion & Advertising

The 2008 Competition Protection Act and the 2006 Consumer Protection Act regulate advertising and prohibit advertisements that either disseminate misleading information to consumers or malign the reputation of competitors.  Separate legislation regulates advertising for certain products such as tobacco products, pharmaceuticals, and alcoholic beverages.  

  • All normal channels for advertising are available and widely used in Bulgaria: newspapers, internet banners, magazines, television, radio, and outdoor billboards/signs.
  • Trade fair activities throughout major Bulgarian cities have grown significantly in recent years and serve as excellent venues for rexhibiting many U.S. products by local agents, distributors and dealers.

For additional information about trade fairs in Bulgaria, please visit: 

Bulgaria’s most popular local newspapers include:

  • TRUD daily
  • 24 CHASA daily
  • STANDART daily
  • SEGA daily
  • KAPITAL daily
  • KAPITAL weekly
  • MONITOR daily
  • BANKER weekly

Pricing

Bulgaria’s relatively low per capita income, and low-to-medium purchasing power means that consumers are price sensitive, though they are willing to spend more for high quality products. As an emerging economy, with emerging middle and upper classes, Bulgarians do have a propensity for expensive name-brand cars, accessories, and clothing.

The standard Value Added Tax (VAT) rate in Bulgaria is 20 percent. There is a nine percent, reduced VAT rate for hotel accommodations, and other goods and services. For additional information about VAT, see Deloitte’s European VAT Refund Guide: https://www.deloitte.com/be/en/services/tax/analysis/vat-refund-guide.html

VAT Registration

Bulgaria follows EU VAT Directives. Thus, if a company is supplying goods or services within the EU, the company may be required to register for VAT. 
•    Resident businesses: Depending on annual revenues, resident businesses, or businesses
with a permanent establishment in a country, must register for VAT.  If the turnover of VAT taxable goods and services supplied within a specific jurisdiction over a 12-month period is more than the relevant registration threshold, a company must register for VAT. In Bulgaria, the mandatory registration is approximately USD 27,500 of taxable supplies for the last 12 consecutive months.
•    Non-resident businesses: In most EU states there is no VAT registration threshold for non-resident businesses. This means as soon as a company starts trading, and the good or service is a taxable supply, a company should be VAT-registered in that jurisdiction.

Sales Service/Customer Support

Bulgarian retail and industrial consumers expect after-sales service, customer support, and warranty commitments when purchasing imported products.  All three are considered important in developing and maintaining customer loyalty. Depending on the product, it is strongly recommended that U.S. exporters consider having an EU-based service/repair facility.

Most U.S. companies operating in Bulgaria provide training for their agents/distributors. Training agents/distributors in the United States is recommended in order to communicate the firm’s distinctive corporate policies, behavior and standards.

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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