Cash on delivery may appear outdated in an era dominated by digital wallets and one-click checkouts. Yet across much of Central and Eastern Europe, it remains a core pillar of e-commerce.
Figures point to a broader reality often overlooked by Western European and US-centric e-commerce narratives: in many markets, trust is still tied to delivery rather than to the transaction itself. Consumers remain more comfortable completing payment once a parcel is physically in their hands. In this article, we will explore why Cash on Delivery remains widely used across Eastern Europe, its operational complexity, and how to ensure profitability in COD-heavy markets.
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Why should international brands pay attention to Eastern Europe?
While much of Western Europe’s e-commerce sector is entering maturity, the eastern side of the continent is still in a phase of rapid expansion, with growth rates, consumer adoption and competitive dynamics that continue to favour new entrants.
Unlike mature e-commerce markets such as Germany or the United Kingdom, where consumers are already heavily targeted by established domestic and international platforms, many Eastern European markets are still relatively fragmented. In several countries, demand from younger, digitally engaged consumers is rising faster than the number of sophisticated local retailers able to serve them. Customer acquisition costs can remain comparatively efficient while consumer appetite for new products and cross-border shopping continues to grow.
Second, the pace of expansion has consistently outperformed Western Europe. Although Western European markets remain larger in absolute terms, Eastern Europe has been growing from a lower base and at significantly faster rates.
Why do so many shoppers still prefer COD?
Across Eastern and parts of Central Europe, Cash on Delivery remains deeply embedded in online shopping habits. The countries with the highest adoption rates are concentrated almost entirely in the eastern half of the continent, reflecting a shared mix of consumer behaviour, economic history, logistical infrastructure and retailer practices.
The persistence of cash in these markets is closely tied to broader economic realities. In countries shaped by periods of financial instability and banking uncertainty, consumers have tended to retain a stronger preference for physical money and tangible transactions. That trust dynamic has naturally extended into online commerce, where many shoppers still feel more secure paying only once an item has arrived at their door.
Eastern Europe Cash on Delivery Data
In Romania, cash on delivery accounted for roughly 51% of online orders during the 2025 peak shopping season, while average order values rose by around 5% year-on-year. In Czechia and Slovakia, CoD represents close to 72% of transactions. Hungary and Slovenia follow with shares of 54% and 53% respectively, while in Italy roughly half of online retailers continue to offer the option. Even in Germany, where traditional CoD never achieved widespread adoption, invoice-based payments still occupy a significant place in the checkout process, reflecting a similar preference for paying after goods are received.
Poland sits just above the threshold, with 60.7% of online retailers offering cash on delivery. The figure rises to 64.9% in Lithuania and 69.2% in Serbia, where cash payments continue to play a prominent role in e-commerce transactions.
Greece, however, stands apart from the rest of Europe. 85.6% of online stores allow customers to pay in cash upon delivery, giving the country the highest CoD penetration on the continent.
Common COD challenges
For merchants the COD model introduces a complex operational challenge. A successful advertising campaign and a high-converting website do not guarantee revenue collection. In many COD-heavy markets, between one-third and one-half of orders may ultimately be rejected at the doorstep. The critical metric is the “buyout rate”, namely the proportion of shipped orders that are actually accepted and paid for by customers.
In prepaid markets, logistics providers are judged primarily on delivery speed and cost. In COD markets, they are also responsible for cash collection, return management, customer communication and reducing refusal rates. The choice of fulfilment and last-mile partner can therefore determine whether a business scales profitably or quietly absorbs mounting losses.
Large international operators such as DHL and FedEx remain important infrastructure providers, but they are not always designed for the realities of high-volume COD commerce in Eastern Europe. For a supplements or direct-to-consumer brand expanding simultaneously into Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Czechia and Italy, the requirements are more specialised: local courier integrations, efficient cash reconciliation, multilingual support, return-rate management and strong regional delivery performance.
How to make Cash on Delivery work at scale
Verification
In many Central and Eastern European markets, confirming each order before dispatch remains one of the most effective ways to reduce failed deliveries and improve buyout rates. A short phone call, SMS confirmation or WhatsApp message can verify the delivery address, confirm customer availability and filter out fraudulent or low-intent orders before shipping costs are incurred. Shipping to unverified contact details is often where profitability begins to erode.
Risk segmentation
Not every product category performs equally well under a CoD model. Many merchants reserve cash on delivery for lower-risk, standardised items, while requesting partial or full prepayment for high-value goods, customised products or categories with historically high return rates. The objective is not to remove flexibility for customers, but to align payment methods with operational risk.
Proactive communication
Communication is a decisive factor. Customers who receive timely updates, confirming dispatch, estimated delivery windows and out-for-delivery notifications, are significantly more likely to complete the purchase successfully. In high-volume CoD operations, delivery failures are often driven less by outright refusal than by poor coordination between courier and customer. Clear communication reduces missed deliveries, improves trust and increases the likelihood that customers are available and prepared to pay when the parcel arrives.
Performance monitoring
Performance monitoring at regional level is equally important. Buyout rates can vary dramatically between cities, delivery zones and even courier networks within the same country. Sophisticated merchants track refusal rates, return-to-origin costs and successful collection percentages by geography, allowing them to decide where CoD remains commercially viable and where prepaid incentives make more sense.
Those incentives can gradually shift customer behaviour over time. Even modest discounts, loyalty rewards or faster shipping options for prepaid orders can improve cash flow and reduce operational complexity, while still preserving CoD as an option for first-time or lower-trust customers.
Why the right 3PL partner matters
The difference between CoD functioning as a growth engine or becoming a persistent cash-flow problem often comes down to the quality of the fulfilment and last-mile network behind it. Managing cash collection, delivery confirmation, failed attempts and returns introduces layers of operational complexity, difficult to handle efficiently at scale.
A strong third-party logistics partner contributes far beyond basic delivery execution. eLogy combines reliable last-mile performance with structured cash reconciliation, real-time shipment visibility, proactive customer communication and efficient return management. In high-refusal markets, these operational details directly influence profitability.
Flexibility also matters. Delivery scheduling, multiple delivery attempts, local-language support and accurate tracking systems can significantly improve buyout rates by reducing friction at the point of delivery. Customers who know precisely when an order will arrive are more likely to accept the shipment and complete payment.
For brands expanding across Central and Eastern Europe, selecting the right 3PL partner is a strategic lever affecting conversion rates, return costs, customer trust and ultimately the economics of scaling in CoD-heavy markets.
Automate your workflow
Automating inventory management is essential once an ecommerce business begins operating across multiple markets or warehouses. Modern inventory software allows retailers to synchronise their online store directly with their 3PL, ensuring stock levels update in real time as orders are placed, returned or replenished. This reduces the risk of overselling, prevents stock discrepancies between systems and improves fulfilment speed. More importantly, automation creates operational visibility. Instead of manually reconciling inventory across platforms, ecommerce owners can monitor stock movement, forecast replenishment needs and respond faster to demand shifts, allowing fulfilment operations to scale without creating administrative bottlenecks.
Build your European logistics strategy with eLogy
eLogy automates your touchpoints and turns your fulfillment into a high-conversion engine by slashing shipping errors and delivering 24/48h across Europe.
- 360° view Dashboard for integrated logistics management. Monitor every KPI, every shipment, and every stock item in real time with advanced reports and visibility across every stage of the order fulfillment process.
- Faster, Smarter Shipping with eLogy SmartShip™
AI automatically selects the best courier based on location, day, and package type — guaranteeing the optimal balance of speed and cost. - Worry-Free Cash on Delivery
Collections across Europe are handled automatically, with real-time balance and reconciliation updates on the platform. - Proactive “Push” Notifications
Send automatic notifications via Email, SMS and WhatsApp. By telling the customer where the package is before they feel the need to ask, you eliminate the ticket before it’s born. - Automatic Shipping Documents & Labels
An AI-driven software that orchestrates shipments, generates shipping labels, validates addresses, manages returns, and optimizes orders – with no errors and no waste. - Real-Time Data
eLogy bridges the “Information Gap” by ensuring tracking updates move faster than the package, neutralizing WISMO before it starts. - Strategic Fulfillment network –With warehouses across Europe, eLogy keeps your stock closer to customers, reducing the tracking timeline.
- Smart Inventory Management – Automatic reorder alerts, bundle creation, and stock transfers keep your warehouse always ready to ship
- Customer Care Automation – WhatsApp, SMS, email campaigns, and a built-in call center workflow convert leads and retain buyers post-purchase
