Türkiye E-Commerce Week will begin in Istanbul on Friday, bringing together stakeholders from across the sector under the theme “Future-Commerce.”

The two-day event is organised by the Trade Ministry, the Electronic Commerce Operators Association (ETID) and the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB).

Featuring panels, masterclasses, workshops, exhibitions, experience zones, S2B (startup-to-business) meetings and networking sessions, the program aims to help shape Türkiye’s digital commerce vision by connecting industry professionals, investors, academics, public officials and consumers.

Success stories from Türkiye and abroad, entrepreneurial breakthroughs, AI-driven opportunities and the impacts of digital transformation will be highlighted throughout the event.

Cagatay Yasin Karaboga, head of the Trade Ministry’s Electronic Commerce Department, said a major e-commerce festival will run alongside Türkiye E-Commerce Week.

“For the first time, Türkiye will have a shopping week that doesn’t originate from abroad,” he said during a briefing on Wednesday. “This week will no longer be called ‘Black Friday.’ November will now be known as the ‘Türkiye Shopping Festival,’ with strong discounts.”

Karaboga said rapid technological change has transformed both consumer and producer habits.

“Consumers can now shop without time or location limits, and producers can easily sell to other cities and abroad thanks to the equal opportunities provided by e-commerce,” he noted. "Rapidly changing commercial conditions also require market regulation."

Karaboga said the ministry recently published the “E-commerce Outlook Report in Türkiye,” drawing on data from the Electronic Commerce Information System.

“With the e-commerce compliance index in our report, we measured activity levels across provinces and designed a strengthening project for those with lower density,” he said. “We will begin work in 30 provinces in December.”

He added that November, now designated as the festival month for e-commerce, aims to boost sector awareness, enhance SME capacity, bring new participants into the market, and spotlight emerging concepts such as AI and sustainable digital commerce.

Türkiye’s e-commerce volume reached $90 billion in 2024, he said, with 5.9 billion transactions.

“E-commerce now accounts for 19.1 percent of all trade,” Karaboga said. “In other words, one in every five commercial transactions is online.”