Belgrade, December 28, 2021 – As the transition to a new online fiscalization and digital invoicing has begun, Serbian businesses are showing a positive attitude towards the use of electronic receipts. According to the Visa study "Digital commerce - a click away", three-quarters (71 percent) of Serbian firms state that they would rather use electronic instead of printed bills.
Data from the latest study on business perception, conducted by Visa among micro, small and medium-sized enterprises this year, indicate that businessmen in Serbia are rapidly turning to new forms of invoicing.
E-bills provide benefits for both businesses and consumers. They are convenient, secure, and save costs for paper purchase and printing device management. Serbian businesses of all sizes largely (74 percent) believe e-bills would be welcomed by their clients, due to their advantages.
Vladimir Djordjevic, General Manager at Visa, SEE, note that high interest in electronic receipts is a signal that businesses in Serbia are moving towards digital processes, that are in line with sustainable business practices.
“The need to simplify and modernize payment process includes all phases from payment acceptance to receipt issuance and this is what our research shows. Tap to Phone, Visa's technology enables using Android smartphones with NFC as mobile POS-terminal, supporting transition to a cashless and paperless economy. Recently this low-cost ecceptance solution was introduced in Serbia, and it allows businesses to save time and money on operational costs and pass to greener options. In the upcoming period, we will work to ensure that more banks in Serbia offer Tap to Phone solutions to their business clients”, Djordjevic said.
One of the biggest benefits of paying bills online is eliminating paper waste. Businesses of all sizes in Serbia are inclining toward “environmentally friendly” paperless billing. Serbian firms show a high awareness of environmental protections, as 60 percent of surveyed companies think conscious business is important as part of introduction electronic bills.
Interest in e-bills in the region
"Digital commerce - a click away" was conducted as a regional perception study among micro, small and medium businesses in Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Bosnia, and Herzegovina and Albania.
When discussing the electronic receipts instead of printed bills, North Macedonia and Montenegro think their firms are likely to use them, with 56 percent and 59 percent respectively. Albanian companies think the opposite where only 20 percent of respondents are for e-bills, while companies in B&H are rather polarized with 30 percent of them who would use e-billing and 34 percent who would not.
Regarding the questions of how the clients would react to e-receipts, the majority of companies think that clients would find it acceptable to receive electronic bills. In Montenegro, 53 percent of SMEs respond positively, in Albania 51 percent, 37 percent In North Macedonia, and 24 percent in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
How companies deal with the pandemic
Visa also examined respondents' views on doing business during the pandemic. Business uncertainty and struggle to pay salaries are perceived as major challenges that Covid 19 brings to their firms, shows research. During the Covid 19 crisis, the majority of companies from all countries state they are reducing their businesses scopes to deal with the negative impact of the pandemic.
The percent of companies in Serbia that were reducing the business scope is 31 percent, in Bosnia 26 percent, in North Macedonia 44 percent, in Montenegro 38, while more than a half of respondents (51 percent) stated the same in Albania. The businesses also share that they deal with the pandemic by patience, persistence, and spending less money on marketing and promotions.