Policies and regulation: What national policies, if any, are being considered in your market that will likely have an impact on e-commerce? At the beginning of 2023, the Omnibus Directive was incorporated in the Czech legislation and a few previous mistakes in transposition were removed. We do not expect any national policies to be adopted that have a direct impact on e-commerce although in 2024, VAT and taxation changes are presumed. Which technologies such as AI, VR and big data are local e-commerce industry players focusing on in 2023? AI technology and its potential have been widely discussed and its development is keenly anticipated. AI can change the industry in many ways, for both SMEs and the biggest players.

How have some relevant EU policies, such as Right to Repair and Green Claims, affected the local e-commerce market? The biggest impact for e-commerce was connected to new sales rules. The practical impact of these changes on the area of complaints are still unclear since they were only adopted a few months ago. Similarly, we are looking forward to seeing details relating to the EUs green plans. Sustainability: What is currently happening in Czechia regarding sustainable transportation efforts? There are no new rules specific to Czechia, so any changes will be in line with EU developments. However, Czech logistics companies are developing new procedures to support sustainability. Have there been any changes in your market due to disruptive technologies such as ChatGPT? Not yet, although its implementation and potential new uses are high on everyones wish list.

Current events and e-commerce: Have you seen any specific direct or indirect impacts on your e-commerce market resulting from the war in Ukraine? In Czechia, there has been huge inflation, with a rate of 17% in 2022 and over 10% so far in 2023. Russias war in Ukraine is one of the main reasons. Have there been any changes or updates in Czechia regarding payment and delivery preferences or behaviors? The networks of pick-up points and automated pick-up boxes are growing rapidly and delivery into participating shops or boxes is almost the most popular delivery method in Czechia. Along with Delivery into participating shops or boxes is almost the most popular delivery method in Czechia this, payments in advance or on delivery using debit and credit cards are also becoming very popular.

What would you say are the leading reasons for either a decline or in e-commerce purchasing amongst consumers? In 2022, for the first time, turnover of Czechias e-commerce retail decreased for several reasons. Firstly, during the Covid-19 pandemic years, growth was boosted higher and faster than it should have been. The second problem is inflation, which is making consumers more cautious. We expect that growth will resume in the second half of 2023. increase Are there any e-commerce trends specific or unique to your market you would like to share? Marketplaces are getting more important comparing to previous years, with Kaufland and Allegro entering the market. On the other hand, leading local online shops are expanding. Yet inflation is still at a high level, impacting both consumers and manufacturers. Once again, we believe that this situation will be stabilized over the second half of 2023. 54 | Europe E-Commerce Report 2023 | Central Europe | Hungary