Algeria’s e-commerce sector is at a crossroads. While Tunisia just hit 19.3 million transactions in 2025, Algerian entrepreneurs risk falling behind unless they act fast. The North African neighbor’s explosive growth—fueled by digital payments, social media sales, and state-backed trust initiatives—offers a cautionary tale for Algeria. With local platforms still struggling to scale and fraud plaguing online markets, Algerian business founders and the diaspora must ask: What’s the playbook to compete?
Tunisia’s 19M Transactions: A Wake-Up Call for Algeria
The gap is widening. Tunisia’s 1005 websites now accept electronic payments, while Algeria’s largest platforms—Jumia, Amazon.ma, and local players like Alibaba Express—still grapple with payment gateways, logistics bottlenecks, and fraud. Algerian sellers on social media, a booming but unregulated space, face no consumer protection, leaving buyers—and entrepreneurs—exposed.
The Fraud Crisis: Why Algerian Sellers Are Losing Trust
The lack of a centralized dispute resolution system in Algeria means sellers operate in legal gray zones. Tunisia’s upcoming e-commerce committee aims to tackle this by verifying seller identities and partnering with banks to flag fraudulent transactions. Algeria’s Central Bank (Bank of Algeria) has taken steps—like promoting mobile money via STC Pay—but enforcement remains weak.
For Algerian entrepreneurs, the message is clear: Wait for regulation, or build your own trust system now.
The Payment Revolution: How Algeria Can Catch Up
The diaspora—Algerians in France, Canada, and the Gulf—could bridge this gap. Remittances to Algeria hit $10 billion in 2023, and many expats use Wise, PayPal, or Revolut to shop online. Algerian platforms like Alibaba Express could partner with these services to let diaspora buyers pay in euros or dollars, then convert locally. Tunisia’s SouqTunis did this—and saw a 40% increase in cross-border sales.
Logistics: The Achilles Heel Holding Back Growth
Entrepreneurs are improvising. “We use Uber drivers for deliveries in Algiers,” says Soraya, founder of a beauty supply store. But scalability is impossible without government incentives for logistics startups—something Tunisia offered via tax breaks for warehousing firms.
The Diaspora’s Untapped Goldmine
Tunisia’s Nesma and Chams already dominate the diaspora market. Algeria needs a homegrown player—one that understands halal food, traditional clothing (like djellabas), and heritage products—to compete.
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Source: africanmanager.com
Key takeaway for entrepreneurs
Algerian e-commerce can’t afford to copy Tunisia—it must move faster on payments, crack down on fraud, and leverage the diaspora. Entrepreneurs should test trusted payment gateways now, build social media sales with legal safeguards, and partner with expat communities before bigger players dominate. The window to compete is closing.
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💡 Starting a business in Algeria? GlobalStart guides you step by step: procedures, real costs, company forms (SARL, EURL, SPA) and CNRC registration.