Türkiye launches first e-commerce week in Istanbul

Event aims to boost $90 billion digital commerce ecosystem, showcase AI and startups

Türkiye will launch its first-ever E-Commerce Week in Istanbul on Friday, aiming to strengthen collaboration across the sector, showcase innovative solutions, and expand the economic and social footprint of digital commerce. Organized by the Trade Ministry with support from the Electronic Commerce Operators Association (ETID) and the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB), the two-day event will take place Nov. 21-22 at the Istanbul Lutfi Kirdar Congress Center. The gathering will bring together stakeholders from across the e-commerce ecosystem -- marketplaces, SMEs, entrepreneurs, infrastructure providers, and logistics companies. Featuring panels, masterclasses, workshops, exhibitions, experience zones, S2B (startup-to-business) meetings, and networking sessions, E-Commerce Week aims to help shape the country’s digital commerce vision by connecting industry professionals, investors, academics, public representatives, and consumers. Success stories from Türkiye and abroad, entrepreneurial breakthroughs, AI-driven opportunities, and the effects of digital transformation will be discussed by expert speakers throughout the program.   $90 billion ecosystem Cagatay Yasin Karaboga, head of the Trade Ministry’s Electronic Commerce Department, told Anadolu late Tuesday that rapid digitalization has reshaped consumer and producer habits, enabling shopping independent of time and place. He said e-commerce offers equal opportunities for producers and noted the scale of the industry: “When we look at 2024 statistics, Türkiye’s digital commerce ecosystem has a $90 billion volume,” he said. “This $90 billion came from roughly 6 billion transactions, generated by 601,000 sellers.” Karaboga said the event will bring together sellers, marketplaces, payment institutions, logistics companies, and others, and will feature numerous panels, workshops, exhibitions, and a shopping festival. For the first time, an awards ceremony will also be held to honor leading companies in the sector.