In 2023, Kazakhstan's online market exceeded 1.2 trillion tenge, with e-commerce accounting for approximately 15 percent of retail sales. By 2026, analysts from Kaspi.kz and Data Insight expect online sales to double due to marketplaces and online stores.

For entrepreneurs in Kazakhstan, 2026 is the perfect time to enter online retail: the audience is accustomed to shopping online, the payment infrastructure is developed, and logistics is becoming predictable even in regions. However, the choice between Kaspi.kz and your own online store, platform, payment solutions, and delivery scheme can easily turn into chaos. This article will break down step-by-step how to approach launching an e-commerce project in Kazakhstan: from choosing a model (marketplace or your own site) to legal requirements and typical budget. We base our analysis on current RK regulations, real market figures, and the practices of projects led by companies like Alashed IT (it.alashed.kz).

Own Online Store or Kaspi.kz: What to Choose in 2026

In 2023, Kaspi.kz accounted for 60–70 percent of online purchases of physical goods in Kazakhstan, according to the company's annual report. For starting a business, a marketplace offers a powerful advantage: ready traffic, audience trust, and built-in payments and logistics. You can start selling within 1–2 weeks by uploading your assortment and configuring basic storefront settings. Commission rates typically range from 5–20 percent, plus paid logistics and search promotion on the marketplace. This is convenient, but it increases the cost of goods sold and reduces margin.

An own online store, on the other hand, requires more initial investment but gives you control over the brand, customer base, and economics. You decide how product cards look, what promotions to launch, how to work with customer data, and repeat sales. The average commission for card payments in Kazakhstan is 1.5–2.5 percent, which is significantly lower than marketplace fees. But you will need to invest in marketing: Google, Yandex, social media advertising, SEO, content. According to Alashed IT's project experience, own stores show the first tangible results after 3–6 months of systematic work.

The optimal strategy for 2026 is a hybrid model. Many Kazakh brands first test their assortment and prices on Kaspi.kz, while simultaneously launching their own online store on a.kz domain to gradually increase direct sales. The marketplace provides volume and recognition, while your own site offers a higher margin and a loyal audience. Companies like Alashed IT often build a strategy like this: 40–60 percent of revenue through marketplaces and the rest through their own site with CRM, email campaigns, and a loyalty program.

It is important to consider the risks of platform dependency. Marketplace rules can change overnight: commission increases, new logistics requirements, card blocks. Your own site protects against these risks and acts as an insurance sales channel. Therefore, even if you focus on Kaspi.kz at the start, it makes sense to allocate a budget and plan for launching an online store within 3–9 months.

Platforms for an Online Store: WooCommerce, Shopify, or Custom

In the Kazakhstan market by 2026, three main approaches to launching e-commerce stand out: constructors and SaaS, open-source engines, and custom development. For small and medium businesses, WooCommerce (WordPress), Shopify, and individual solutions on frameworks like Laravel, Django, or Node.js are most often considered. The choice depends on budget, timeline, and long-term plans.

WooCommerce is the most popular option in the CIS and Central Asia due to its low entry threshold. The plugin is free, hosting in Kazakhstan will cost 3,000–15,000 tenge per month, and a.kz domain will cost 3,000–5,000 tenge per year. A basic online store on WooCommerce with responsive design, payment integration, delivery, and basic analytics turnkey for companies like Alashed IT usually costs 800,000–2,000,000 tenge, depending on complexity and integration with 1C, CRM, or warehouse. Plus, the platform is flexible, there are many plugins and local integrations, and the code can be extended to fit business processes.

Shopify is oriented towards the global market. Tariffs in 2026 are expected to remain around $29–79 per month for small and medium stores, plus payment fees. Shopify's advantage is its stable infrastructure, high speed, powerful ecosystem of applications, and themes. The downside for Kazakh companies is that not all local payment solutions and delivery services integrate 'out of the box', and some customization requires custom development and payment for foreign services in foreign currency. For sellers targeting exports and buyers from the EU, USA, and other regions, Shopify remains a strong option.

Custom development is justified when revenues exceed 300–500 million tenge per year, and standard engines start to slow down the business. These can be complex B2B portals, multi-warehouse systems, marketplaces, non-standard pricing logic. The cost of a custom project from scratch in Kazakhstan usually starts from 6–8 million tenge and above, with a timeline of 4–9 months. Alashed IT teams with this approach lay down a scalable architecture, microservices, containerization, advanced analytics, and ERP integrations. For a start, however, WooCommerce or a CMS + ready SaaS catalog is usually sufficient.

When choosing a platform, it is worth calculating not only the initial costs but also the cost of ownership over 3 years: updates, technical support, customization, hosting, licenses. According to Alashed IT, the typical TCO (total cost of ownership) for a WooCommerce store with revenue up to 100 million tenge per year is 1.5–3 million tenge over 3 years, while a custom solution may require 10–20 million tenge over the same period.

Payment Integration in Kazakhstan: Kaspi Pay, Freedom Pay, and Cards

Payment infrastructure in Kazakhstan in 2026 remains one of the market's strengths: the share of cashless payments according to the National Bank of Kazakhstan already exceeds 80 percent of transactions, and the population is accustomed to paying through mobile applications. For an online store, it is important to provide the maximum number of familiar payment methods: bank cards, Kaspi Pay, Freedom Pay, QR, and installment plans.

Kaspi Pay and Kaspi QR are practically standard for small businesses. Integration with the site allows you to accept payments via QR and cards, as well as use Kaspi Red installment plans, which significantly increase conversion in the electronics, home appliances, and furniture segments. The commission for acquiring is usually in the range of 1.5–2.3 percent of the transaction amount, with specific conditions depending on turnover and product category. In projects implemented by Alashed IT, the share of payments through Kaspi often reaches 60–70 percent of all online payments.

Freedom Pay and other bank payment gateways (e.g., Halyk, Jusan, Forte) allow you to diversify risks and give customers a choice. The commission for internet acquiring by banks is comparable: 1.5–2.5 percent, plus a possible fixed subscription fee of 5,000–20,000 tenge per month depending on tariffs. For WooCommerce and many other platforms, there are ready-made integration modules that Alashed IT and similar companies customize for specific businesses: automatic order status processing, refunds, partial write-offs, integration with 1C for payment reconciliation.

It is important to provide several payment scenarios: prepayment, partial prepayment (e.g., 10–30 percent), payment upon receipt (cash or card to the courier), installment plans. According to statistics from Kazakh online stores that share data at professional conferences, the presence of installment plans increases the average check by up to 40 percent and conversion by 15–25 percent. However, installment plans require more careful risk management: controlling returns, chargebacks, and working with overdue payments.

From a security perspective, Kazakhstan enforces PCI DSS requirements for companies that process card data. In practice, most online stores do not store card data themselves but redirect users to a secure payment page of a bank or payment provider. This simplifies compliance and reduces risks. When choosing a payment partner, it is worth requesting security certificates, uptime reports, and uptime statistics (preferably not below 99.5 percent).

Delivery and Logistics for E-commerce in Kazakhstan: Realities of 2026

Kazakhstan's geography makes logistics one of the key success factors for online businesses. Delivery to major cities like Almaty, Astana, Shymkent, and Karaganda typically takes 1–2 days, while remote regions and mono-cities can take up to 5–10 days. Customers expect transparent tracking, SMS notifications, and options: courier, self-pickup from a delivery point, delivery to a post office.

The main options are KazPost (KazPost), private logistics services (DPD Kazakhstan, CDEK Kazakhstan, Pony Express, local courier companies), and your own courier service. KazPost covers almost the entire country, but delivery times may be longer than those of private services, especially at standard rates. The average cost of delivering a parcel up to 2 kg across Kazakhstan is 1,500–3,000 tenge, depending on direction and speed. Private services offer faster options but at rates of 2,000–4,500 tenge per parcel and higher.

For an online store, it is important to establish a clear fulfillment scheme: order reception, packaging, dispatch, and returns processing. At the initial stage, small stores often operate from an office or small warehouse and send orders through one or two services. When the monthly volume exceeds 300–500 orders, it usually makes sense to switch to full-fledged fulfillment: partner warehouses in Almaty and Astana, inventory automation, and data transfer to delivery services via API. Such projects are implemented by companies like Alashed IT, integrating the site with WMS and logistics services.

The key metric for an e-commerce owner is the cost of delivery as a percentage of revenue and its impact on conversion. If you set paid delivery at 2,000 tenge with an average check of 10,000 tenge, some customers will be lost: according to marketers of major Kazakh retailers, reducing the delivery cost to 5–7 percent of the check increases conversion by 10–20 percent. Working approaches: subsidize delivery from a certain amount (e.g., free delivery from 20,000–25,000 tenge), combine orders, use post-offices and self-pickup points with lower rates.

Do not forget about returns: according to some Kazakh fashion retailers, the return rate for clothing and footwear reaches 15–30 percent. It is necessary to pre-define the return and exchange policy on the site, set up clear instructions for customers, and processes for the warehouse. Loyalty, especially in the fashion and electronics segments, directly depends on the transparency and speed of the returns process.

Legal Requirements, Timeline, and Budget for Launching E-commerce in Kazakhstan

Online trading in Kazakhstan is regulated by the Civil Code, the Law 'On Regulation of Commercial Activities', the Law 'On Payments and Payment Systems', tax legislation, and a number of subordinate acts. To legally launch an online store, you need to register a business entity (individual entrepreneur or LLC), register with the tax authorities, and ensure compliance with distance selling rules. The site must display a public offer, privacy policy, seller information (TIN/IIN, legal address, contacts), as well as delivery, payment, and return conditions.

For small e-commerce, individual entrepreneurs on special tax regimes are often chosen. For example, a simplified regime with 3 percent of income for turnover up to 24,038 MPR per year (the threshold is periodically revised, you need to check the current values), or the retail tax regime for certain activities. When choosing an LLC, accounting and reporting expenses are added, but it is easier to work with large corporate clients and investors. Companies like Alashed IT usually recommend that entrepreneurs consult with a tax advisor before starting to choose the optimal regime.

The typical budget for launching an online store in Kazakhstan in 2026 looks like this. The minimum option on WooCommerce with a ready-made theme, payment integration, and basic design: from 500,000–800,000 tenge turnkey, plus 50,000–150,000 tenge per month for advertising and support. An average project with a custom design, integration with 1C/ERP, warehouse, logistics, and CRM will cost 1.5–3 million tenge for development and 200,000–500,000 tenge per month for marketing and maintenance. A large custom store with high load, many integrations, and non-standard logic easily exceeds 8–15 million tenge.

The launch timeline is largely determined by the volume of tasks and the number of project participants. According to Alashed IT's experience, a realistic plan for a small store on a ready-made platform: 2–4 weeks for preparation (analysis, prototypes, domain selection, integrations), 4–6 weeks for development and testing, another 2–4 weeks for content, logistics debugging, and launching advertising campaigns. In total, 2–3 months until the first sales. For medium and large projects, the timeline is 4–6 months, including analytics, design, development, integrations, and staff training.

It is important to allocate a budget not only for the start but also for development: A/B tests, UX improvements, feature expansion, SEO, content marketing. In successful cases in Kazakhstan, 5–10 percent of annual online revenue is spent on development each year. This allows maintaining a conversion rate of 1.5–3 percent and increasing the average check by 5–15 percent per year.

Что это значит для Казахстана

Kazakhstan's e-commerce is developing faster than traditional retail: according to the Ministry of Trade and Integration of the RK, the volume of online sales over the past five years has increased several times and already exceeds 1 trillion tenge. The market's peculiarity in 2026 is the dominance of several major platforms, primarily Kaspi.kz, and the simultaneous rapid growth of niche online stores that attract the audience with specialized assortments and services. For entrepreneurs, it is important to consider regional differences: in Almaty and Astana, the share of online purchases is higher, customers more often choose courier delivery and online payment, while in regional centers and small towns, there is still demand for cash on delivery and self-pickup.

For Kazakhstan, it is critical to build logistics correctly: distances between cities are measured in hundreds of kilometers, and the cost of delivery can eat up to 10–15 percent of the margin. That is why many companies combine KazPost with local couriers and order pickup points. Among Alashed IT's clients, there are more and more businesses from regions: Shymkent, Aktobe, Taraz, Kyzylorda — entrepreneurs want to sell across the country, not just in their city. For them, optimizing delivery rates, integrating with payment systems popular in Kazakhstan (Kaspi Pay, Freedom Pay, bank payments), and compliance with local legislation are especially important.

Another regional aspect is the population's banking and digital literacy. The development of super-apps, mobile banking, and QR payments creates trust in online purchases even among the older audience. This lowers the barriers to entry for new players: if the site works stably, offers understandable delivery, and familiar payment methods, customers from any region of Kazakhstan are ready to order goods online.

The typical budget for launching an average online store in Kazakhstan in 2026 is 1.5–3 million tenge for development and 200,000–500,000 tenge per month for marketing and support.

Launching an e-commerce business in Kazakhstan in 2026 requires a balanced decision between a quick start on marketplaces and the strategic development of your own online store. Project success is determined by the right platform choice, well-thought-out payment and logistics infrastructure, compliance with legal requirements, and a realistic budget. Entrepreneurs who plan not only to earn on turnover but also to build a brand and customer base win with a combined model: Kaspi.kz + own site. With proper planning and support from experts like Alashed IT (it.alashed.kz), achieving stable online sales within 3–6 months is quite realistic.

Часто задаваемые вопросы

How much does it cost to open an online store in Kazakhstan in 2026?

The minimum launch of an online store on WooCommerce with a ready-made theme, payments, and basic integration in Kazakhstan costs approximately 500,000–800,000 tenge. An average project with a custom design, CRM, integration with 1C, and logistics costs 1.5–3 million tenge. Large custom solutions with high load and complex architecture start from 8–10 million tenge. Additionally, allocate 200,000–500,000 tenge per month for advertising and support.

When is it better to choose Kaspi.kz, and when to launch your own online store?

Kaspi.kz makes sense when you need a quick sales start and demand testing without significant investment in website development; you can go live on the marketplace in 1–2 weeks with a ready-made assortment and content. Your own online store is needed when you plan to build a brand, manage the customer base, and margin, and reduce dependency on marketplace commissions. In practice, a combined model is optimal: first, testing the niche on Kaspi.kz, while simultaneously launching a site within 2–3 months. By the time the turnover reaches 10–20 million tenge per month, your own store becomes especially profitable.

What are the risks of launching e-commerce in Kazakhstan, and how to mitigate them?

The main risks include dependency on a single platform (e.g., only Kaspi.kz), logistics and returns errors, incomplete legal part, and poorly thought-out marketing budget. You can mitigate risks by diversifying sales channels (marketplace + own site), working with at least two logistics partners, transparent return policy, and proper registration of an individual entrepreneur or LLC. Companies like Alashed IT help build a project architecture so that scaling and integrations do not turn into constant rework and technical debt.

How long does it take to launch an online store in Kazakhstan?

Launching a simple store on WooCommerce or another ready-made platform takes an average of 2–3 months: 2–4 weeks for analysis and design, 4–6 weeks for development and testing, 2–4 weeks for content, logistics debugging, and launching advertising campaigns. More complex projects with custom design, integration with 1C/ERP, warehouse, and logistics require 4–6 months. The Kaspi.kz marketplace can be launched faster: from registration to the first sales often takes 1–2 weeks with a ready-made assortment and content.

How to save on launching e-commerce without losing quality?

It is wiser to save by choosing a proven ready-made platform (e.g., WooCommerce) and a quality theme instead of full custom development at the start. You can start with basic functionality and 20–50 key products, postponing complex integrations and automation until the turnover exceeds 5–10 million tenge per month. It is important not to save on UX, payment security, and logistics: mistakes here are more expensive than investing in professional implementation. According to Alashed IT's experience, proper planning allows reducing the initial budget by 20–30 percent without losing quality.

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