Depending on the source, anywhere between 56% and 84% of online purchases in Tunisia are still settled in cash on delivery. That gap isn't a mistake — it simply means these figures aren't measuring exactly the same thing. Here's how to make sense of it, and why it matters for your e-commerce strategy.
Three numbers, three different definitions
The most commonly cited figure — 56% — comes from analyses combining Central Bank of Tunisia (BCT) data with 2026 sector studies. Other sources put it closer to 68-70%, down from over 80% in 2022. A more recent analysis puts the figure near 84% of e-commerce transactions still settled in cash on delivery.
The difference comes down to what's being measured: some studies count the share of e-commerce transactions paid in cash, others the share of merchant sites offering only COD, and others combine online payments across every category. What every source agrees on, though, is that cash on delivery remains dominant, whichever way you calculate it.
What the BCT officially confirms
Electronic transactions in Tunisia have crossed the 14 million mark, worth close to one billion dinars, according to Central Bank of Tunisia data. The growth is real: around 13.5 million non-cash payment operations were recorded in 2025, up more than 5% year-on-year, for a total value exceeding 1.4 billion TND. The number of active e-commerce sites also grew by more than 19% over the same period.
But the transition is still held back by structural factors that industry officials themselves acknowledge publicly: persistent consumer trust issues, partial banking coverage, and a regulatory framework still seen as incomplete when it comes to clarifying liability between platforms and couriers in case of disputes. Officials overseeing e-commerce development have publicly called for accelerating the shift to digital payment solutions, a sign the issue is now taken seriously at the institutional level, not just by private market players.
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Electronic transactions recorded (BCT) | 14 million+ |
| Growth in active e-commerce sites (2025) | +19.2% |
| Value of non-cash payments (2025) | 1.4 billion TND+ |
What this actually means for your store
Whichever exact figure you pick, the practical conclusion is the same for a Tunisian e-commerce business in 2026: cash on delivery isn't going away in the short term, and offering it remains close to mandatory if you don't want to cut yourself off from most customers. But offering only COD means ignoring a growing, already meaningful share of buyers ready to pay online, while absorbing the full hidden cost of cash on delivery: high refusal rates, delayed cash flow of several days, and a capped average basket size because customers hesitate to order expensive items without paying upfront.
- Keep COD as the default — it's still the option that reassures most Tunisian buyers
- Add at least one online payment option (Konnect or Flouci) to capture customers who prefer to pay upfront
- Confirm every order by phone or SMS — this simple step cuts refusals by 30-40% according to several industry players
- Track your own conversion rate by payment method rather than relying solely on national averages
Above all, remember this: national figures, whatever they are, never replace your own data. Two stores in the same sector can have very different rates of online payment adoption depending on their customer base, average order value, and the trust already built with their buyers. If you're weighing which payment gateways to integrate first, our guide to online payment in Tunisia breaks down the fees and integration effort for each option in detail.
Want to know which payment mix would work for you?
For the details on available solutions and their real fees, ask us directly for a quote to integrate the right combination on your site.