BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 30. The best-case scenario for cross-border marketplaces in Uzbekistan is cooperation with local partners, Zohid Ulmasbayev, co-founder and strategic advisor of Oneziyo.AI, said at the INMerge Innovation Summit organized by PASHA Holding in Baku, Trend reports.
He observed that for an enterprise to engage in e-commerce within the jurisdiction of Uzbekistan, it is imperative to comply with the identical regulatory frameworks as domestic entities.
"For example, Temu launched a marketing campaign in Uzbekistan and within 10 days began actively selling its old products there at very low prices and with free shipping from China. As a result, a local player, Uzum, suffered. The government issued a warning to Temu: it must operate under the same rules as all other companies. If a company wants to conduct online commerce in Uzbekistan, it must adhere to the same rules as local players," he explained.
Ulmasbaev pointed out that local marketplaces already have infrastructure, consumer insight, established last-mile delivery, a returns system, and their own BNPL (buy now, pay later) structure.
"To sell in Uzbekistan, it's needed to use financial instruments and fintech solutions. If you do this from abroad, you don't know your customer. Local companies, however, have extensive knowledge of their audience. Therefore, collaboration between a cross-border player and a local partner is the optimal way to operate in Uzbekistan," he added.
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