Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

The Protocol on Confidence Seals in E-Commerce was signed with the participation of Customs and Trade Minister Bülent Tüfenkci, TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu and Undersecretary of Customs and Commerce Cenap Aşcı.

Speaking at the ceremony, TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu reported that TOBB, with the received authority granted by the protocols with the Customs and Trade Ministry, will begin issuing e-commerce sites with Confidence Seals in Turkey.

Hisarcıklıoğlu thanked Minister Tüfenkci for his enthusiasm for e-commerce and for giving this task to TOBB. “With this protocol, we will enter a new phase in which e-commerce will grow much faster. Sector growth will increase. Because the Confidence Seal will enable you to shop in a safer environment. The e-commerce sites with the standards set forth in the Communiqué, by applying to the TOBB, can become certified that they are a safe and standards-compliant site.”

Reporting that the share of e-commerce in Turkey retail trade is 3.5%, Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that this is approximately 8-9% in the world average, and the share of e-commerce stressed that the goal is to at least double the current share.

Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that the Ministry of Customs and Commerce has removed many difficulties that have come up. “With the order of the Minister, the customs procedures in the field of goods sold abroad via e-commerce have decreased considerably. This step is the contribute to cross-border e-commerce and Turkey’s export target for 2023. I would like to express my appreciation to the Minister and his colleagues for leading the development of both traditional trade and e-commerce. With the strength and support we receive from our Minister, we travel around Anatolia and speak about e-commerce. So far, we’ve talked in 29 provinces to 50,000 SMEs about e-commerce, and how to do it.”

The TOBB President said that they had given 2 messages especially to SMEs: “First, not entering e-commerce is like keeping the corner shop in the world's most crowded street closed. Second, do not complain about the growth of e-commerce, move on to get a share of the growing cake. Thousands of different products, on our ability to produce high quality and reasonable price, we can add the effective use of e-commerce, Turkey will prosper much more rapidly. E-commerce is a unique opportunity especially for the development of Anatolia. The market reached by the SMEs in Anatolia, the SMEs in Istanbul, was equalized by e-commerce. The growth of the market accessible to SMEs outside big cities will also support regional development.”

Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that Confidence Seal is a very important step to expand the e-commerce market.

- Customs and Trade Minister Tüfenkci

Customs and Trade Minister Bulent Tüfenkçi also reported that e-commerce sector in the world and in Turkey is growing very quickly.

Tüfenkçi pointed out that electronic trade changed the traditional trade concept by removing the geographical borders and that it is important to adapt to a new age. Tüfenkci stated that e-commerce enterprises are the most effective way to reach the right consumer quickly and that e-commerce enterprises can offer more effective services at a lower cost. E-commerce has been mentioned as a way for SMEs to take their place in the market, Tüfenkci said: “The opportunities offered by e-commerce are more prominent when it comes to SMEs.” Reliability for effective operation of e-commerce is an essential condition, as 45% of consumers are concerned about privacy and security concerns in this context, our Ministry has conducted numerous meetings with relevant institutions and organizations and investigated the examples abroad. The ‘Communiqué on Confidence Seal in Electronic Commerce’ we prepared was published in the Official Gazette on June 6^th, 2017, and has entered into force.”

Following the speeches, the Undersecretary of Customs and Commerce Cenap Aşcı and TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu signed the “Confidence Seal Protocol.”