Micro-Export in Digital Retail: Platforms, Strategies, and Future Directions
Chapter from the book: Yılmaz, A. & Aykaç, Ö. S. & Kutlu, E. (eds.) 2025. Online Retail Marketing Practice: Technology, Operations, and Globalization.

Tarık Yolcu
Sakarya University of Applied Sciences

Synopsis

Micro-export has emerged as a low-cost, agile route to internationalization for SMEs in an increasingly borderless retail landscape. This chapter positions micro-export within the platform economy, analyzing how global marketplaces (Etsy, Amazon Handmade, eBay, AliExpress) and local enablers (e.g., Shopier) lower search and transaction costs while bundling logistics, payments, and trust. We synthesize strategy playbooks across discovery, conversion, fulfillment, and loyalty, and map the regulatory terrain (ETGB, IOSS/OSS, cross-border data flows, the EU AI Act). Using Türkiye as a focal context, we document a persistent potential–realization gap driven less by finance and more by information asymmetries and capability deficits. We argue that performance hinges on platform–strategy fit (narrative-driven differentiation vs. operational throughput), robust international pricing and localization matrices, and transparent return/delivery promises (Yıldırım et al., 2024). AI now acts as a force multiplier across the funnel, yet requires governance for transparency, data protection, and content safety. Policy recommendations emphasize capability-building programs, SME-friendly export hubs, and compliance simplification. Overall, unlocking micro-export performance requires a market–policy compact that expands access to know-how, scales enabling technologies, and compresses logistics and bureaucratic frictions.

How to cite this book

Yolcu, T. (2025). Micro-Export in Digital Retail: Platforms, Strategies, and Future Directions. In: Yılmaz, A. & Aykaç, Ö. S. & Kutlu, E. (eds.), Online Retail Marketing Practice: Technology, Operations, and Globalization. Özgür Publications. DOI: https://doi.org/10.58830/ozgur.pub944.c3961

License

Published

November 20, 2025

DOI