E-commerce in Iraq
E-commerce
- Internet access
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Iraq has a population of almost 40 million people, with an internet penetration rate estimated at 48.3% in 2017. According to Newzoo's 2017 Global Mobile Market Report, the smartphone penetration in the country is estimated at 19.9%. Google is the most popular web search engine in Iraq, though no reliable detailed data is available.
- E-commerce market
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Although e-commerce could generate several benefits for the Iraqi consumers – like the possibility to compare goods and prices, receiving foreign goods and commodities otherwise not available, etc. – the market is not well developed yet. One of the key barriers to e-commerce is the low internet penetration rate and lack of technology infrastructure. Generally, internet connections are slow and expensive, with serious restrictions on service providers. Another great problem contributing to the slow growth of e-commerce is the low level of IT literacy among the Iraqi population. However, the greatest problem hindering e-commerce is perhaps the fact the Iraqi consumers prefer to use cash, both due to fiscal and technical reasons (distrust in Iraqi banks, scarcity of credit card products, etc.). Among the main e-commerce websites active in Iraq there are: Kurdshopping.com, Opensooq.com, Dasy2.com, Mredy.com and Kurdsale.com. When it comes to social media, Iraqi citizens prefer to use YouTube, with a 66.1% penetration rate among internet users, followed by Instagram (15.7), Facebook (15%) and Twitter (2.4%). Due to protests in central and southern Iraq over the lack of public services, the Iraqi National Security Council decided to ban the use of social media for two weeks in July 2018.
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Latest Update: April 2024