Macedonians are buying online more and more, and the numbers confirm it. According to the latest data from the National Bank, in the first quarter of 2026 the total value of online transactions reached almost 266 million euros - up 18.1 percent on the same period last year.

Broken down, the picture is telling. Transactions worth around 156 million euros went to domestic e-shops (up 16.5 percent), while Macedonian consumers spent another 109 million euros at foreign e-shops - and that's exactly where the growth is fastest, a full 20.3 percent. In other words, we're buying more and more online, but the money is draining abroad ever faster.

The count is rising too, not just the value. In the first quarter over 7.6 million online transactions were made - up 16.4 percent - and 59 newly opened online points of sale were registered, showing that businesses too are moving into the e-space more and more. Digital commerce here is clearly no longer a novelty, but a habit.

But behind the positive percentages hides a question that's rarely asked. If Macedonians spend a hundred million euros a quarter at foreign shops and that share is growing fastest, it means domestic retailers are losing a race they might not have to lose. Why does the Macedonian consumer increasingly order from abroad - because of price, because of choice, because of trust? The growth of e-commerce is good news, but the real economic benefit comes only if that money, at least the bigger part of it, stays circulating at home.