Albanian 
Prishtina, March 31, 2020 – Digital transformation is being considered as the most effective option by businesses to continue operating on a regular basis, despite restrictive measures of movement and social distancing as a result of the pandemic. This was concluded during a virtual forum organized by the American Chamber of Commerce in Kosovo, where the disruption of sales in the time of COVID-19 was discussed.
Uranik Begu, Executive Director at the Innovation Center Kosovo (ICK) emphasized that changes always occur in certain driving situations, therefore this pandemic situation may be one of the key factors that will bring about a new economic orientation, by transforming customer’s behavior as well as work processes. Begu emphasized that ICK has consistently contributed to increasing awareness of the digitization and use of online services, seeing that this approach is an increasing global trend. However, he considers that in Kosovo there is still much room for improvement in this regard, while calling on state and support institutions to mobilize and invest in the technical aspect and in raising awareness of the development of digitalization as a stimulus during this crisis.
Mërgim Cahani, Founder and CEO at Gjirafa Inc. stated that e-commerce in Kosovo is among the sectors with the highest growth rate after the pandemic outbreak. According to him, this growth will continue, considering that businesses with traditional approach to sales, have already started to access e-commerce, while a change in consumers’ buying behavior has also been noticed. He stated that Gjirafa offers a quick opportunity for commercial companies to register and switch to online sales. Cahani emphasized that this is only the beginning of a long journey of online sales development, and since many people have already begun to adapt to this new trend, within a few years Kosovo will be able to compare to the markets of developed countries.
Arianit Fazliu, Co-Founder and CEO at Kutia, stated that traditional ways of selling have been limited or stopped as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the former resistance to moving away from the traditional way of working to digital transformation has begun to fade. He spoke about the growing demand for the development of online sales platforms from many European companies, expressing confidence that Kosovo companies will follow the same trend. He added that his company is trying to contribute to the digitization of businesses so that the economic chain can continue to operate, given that demand is significantly increasing. Fazliu stated that digital transformation is the way to the future and encouraged companies to embark on this transition, which is being seen as an opportunity for business development at this time of pandemic.