Omer Kotb (Ananas): Building for the next wave

A Marketplace Built for the Region’s Specific Needs

When Ananas launched as a regional marketplace, many observers questioned whether a local platform could compete in a market increasingly dominated by global giants. Three years later, Ananas has proven its thesis. Omer Kotb, CEO of Ananas, sat down with us ahead of his keynote at EcomConf 2026 to discuss what they have learned and where they are headed.

The advantage of knowing your market

Kotb points to regional expertise as the platform’s core competitive advantage. Global marketplaces design for global averages. Ananas designs for the specific payment preferences, delivery expectations, and seller needs of buyers and merchants in Southeastern Europe. That means supporting cash on delivery at scale, building logistics partnerships with regional carriers, and offering seller support in local languages with local business knowledge.

The platform has grown its seller base by 140 percent over the past 18 months, with category expansion into electronics, fashion, and home goods driving the bulk of gross merchandise value growth. Kotb credits much of that expansion to listening closely to sellers rather than pushing top-down category strategies.

What comes next for Ananas

The next wave, as Kotb describes it, is about cross-border enablement within the region. Sellers in Serbia should be able to reach buyers in North Macedonia, Bosnia, and Croatia with the same ease as domestic sales. Building the infrastructure for that, including unified customs handling, multi-currency settlements, and localized storefronts, is the primary engineering and operational focus for 2026 and 2027.

For Kotb, the opportunity in the Western Balkans is still largely untapped. The infrastructure is coming. The seller quality is improving. And consumer trust in online shopping is growing every quarter.