Reaching the consumers

Marketing opportunities

Consumer behavior

In general, due to relative high households debts Croatian consumers are forced to be more and more price sensitive customers. Nevertheless, they like buying known and fashionable brands they know and trust even if they should not be in a position to buy them, especially in cosmetics, cloths and similar outlook accessories. Since they are very proud of their country, they respect also successful domestic brands as well as worldwide known brands that they perceive as bringing good quality for value ratio to them.

Consumer profile and purchasing power

The average Croatian consumer is burdened with relatively significant debts and that is why the buying indexes of goods went immediately down in terms of volumes in the first half of 2008 after consequences of higher food and energy prices as well as inflation hit Crotian market. The social segmentation of the population is ongoing considerably according to the research data revealing that almost 90% of households claim their financial situation is not any better or is even worse in 2009 than it was in 2008. By categories, the prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages increased 2.7% year-on-year, while clothing and footwear prices grew by an average of 2.1%.

Consumers associations

List of non-governmental organizations and associations for consumer protection
List of consumer protection counselling centres
Croatian Association for Consumer Protection (in Croatian only)
Union for Consumer Protection (in Croatian only)
Consumer Protection Department at the Ministry of Economy, Labour and Entrepreneurship
National Consumer Protection Council

Main advertising agencies

Center for Market Research
Premisa Communications Management is Croatia's largest company specializing in pulic relations.
Full service marketing agency
Independent marketing agency
Brand management and creative marketing agency
Media buying and strategy planning marketing agency
Europlakat
Internet advertising solutions

Distributing a product

Market shares

Retailers still prevail in the Croatian distribution landscape, there are more than 40,000 of them (mainly owned by independent individuals). However, an internationalisation and concentration tendency more and more occures in the sector these last years with the development of shopping centrers, department stores and the establishment of international chains of hypermarkets. The distribution sector contributes to 10.9% of Croatia's GDP.

Organizations in the retail sector

Wholesale and retail trade Association at the Croatian Chamber of Economy (in Croatian only)
Wholesale trade association at the Croatian Employer Association (in Croatian only)

Market access procedures

International Conventions

Member of World Trade Organisation
Party to the Kyoto protocol
Party to the Basel convention on the Control of Transboudary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their disposal
Party to the Montreal protocol on Substances that deplete the Ozone Layer
Wassenaar arrangement on export controls for conventional arms and dual-use goods and technologies

Main International economic cooperation

About 80% of foreign trade exchange of the Croatian economy runs under the conditions of free trade, i.e. the Republic of Croatia has signed agreements on free trade with 38 countries (EU27 members, EFTA members, countries of former Yugoslavia, Albania, Turkey, Moldova, and Macedonia).

Non tariff barriers

In order to integrate the WTO (entry: November, 2000), Croatia greatly liberalised its economy. For most goods, customs duties are nowadays the only protective measures. There are some exceptions, for instance, qualitative restriction measures as well as quotas authorised by the WTO rules (in case of a deficit in the balance of payments or in case of a strong threat to the local industry). These quotas (for farm products, above all) are assigned by open tendering. The import of certain goods needs a license, which is delivered by the Ministry of Economy. Finally, the import of second-hand motorcars being more than 7 years old is forbidden in Croatia.
Croatia now uses a single document for customs declarations, on the model of the Single Administrative Document of the European Union (also used for the transit procedures in the country).

Customs duties and taxes on imports

The average tariff for industrial goods is about 3%.

Customs classification

Croatia applies the Harmonized Customs System in line with the EU regulations.

Import procedures

Croatia applies the Harmonized Customs System. The customs duties are calculated Ad valorem on the CIF value.

A Croatian importer is responsible for providing the required import documentation, which consists of common trade, transport, and customs documents, as well as certificates required for quality control and licenses where appropriate. The single Administrative Document (SAD) that is used by EU and most other countries is the key customs document in Croatia as well.

Croatia is member of the CEFTA (Central European Free trade Association) and of WTO. It signed agreements of free trade with the countries of the EU, countries of CEFTA, countries of EFTA, and Turkey.

For further information

Croatian Customs Administration

Organizing goods transport

Main useful means

Approx. half of all transported goods in Croatia is done by roads. Since Croatia is a maritime country the second largest fraction of goods is transported by sea (almost 30% of all transported goods). The rest of approx. 20% of transported goods is more or less equally divided by railway and pipelines.

The transport share of GDP is 8.3% and in total employment around 7.3%.

Ports

Port of Rijeka
Port of Ploce

Airports

Zagreb airport
Split airport
Pula airport
Rijeka airport
Dubrovnik airport

Sea transport organizations

Directorate for Maritime Traffic, Maritime Domain and Ports

Air transport organizations

Croatian civil aviation authority
Directorate for Air Traffic at the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure

Road transport organizations

 Directorate for Road Traffic at the Ministry of the Sea, Traffic and Infrastructure

Rail transport organizations

Directorate for Railway Traffic at the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure

Identifying a supplier

Type of production

The industrial sector contributes approximately 20% of GDP. Manufacturing employs nearly 25% of the workforce. In terms of the value added, leaders are manufacturing of food and beverages, electricity, gas and water supply; manufacturing of chemicals and chemical products; refined petroleum products and fabricated metal products. Traditionally, Croatia is also strong in shipbuilding, construction industry and tobacco products.

Business directories

Official companies directories
WLW business , search engine by product, service or company name.
CroatiaBiz

Manufacturers associations of the main industries

Union of Croatian industry associations for textile, metal, wood, paper, electricity and chemicals (in croatian)

Trade Agencies and their representations abroad

Croatian Chamber of Economy

Enterprises federation

Croatian association of Employers (in Croatian only)