General Overview

Many public and private entities in Fiji are transitioning to digital systems and phasing out manual or paper-based processing.  Fiji, like other Pacific Islands countries, can now more easily access international markets using eCommerce platforms.  With stringent social distancing measures and lockdowns during the pandemic, many businesses were forced to strengthen their online approach to sales and marketing.  Many businesses in Fiji are now thriving through online sales.  The total FinTech transactions value is forecast to grow by 19.5 percent from 2020 to 2025.

Legal & Regulatory Environment toward eCommerce

All online businesses operating in Fiji need to be registered with the Fiji Revenue and Customs Service for tax purposes.  Online businesses with an annual gross turnover or sales exceeding $45,920 (FJ$100,000), are required to register for VAT.  The business becomes a collecting agent for the government and is required to charge VAT on all sales made, file VAT returns and make VAT payments.

Consumer Behavior

Cash remains the most common payment method used by individuals and businesses in Fiji.  Mobile money recently became a widely used payment method for buying and selling of goods and money transfer.  The pandemic forced many Fijian businesses to adopt cashless payment methods resulting in the tremendous increase of mobile money wallet transactions in value and volume.  Credit cards and debit cards are not commonly used for day-to-day transactions.  

Intellectual Property Rights

Fiji’s copyright laws are in conformity with World Trade Organization (WTO) Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS) provisions.  However, the enforcement of these laws remains weak, and capacity is a challenge.

Illegal materials and reproductions of films, sound recordings, and computer programs are widely available throughout Fiji.  In 2021, Fiji’s parliament passed new intellectual property laws including the protection of trademarks, patents, and designs.  The new law is yet to come into force.

Digital Marketing & Social Media

In Fiji, the use of social media provides a competitive advantage over traditional media.  As much as 72 percent of Fiji’s population are social media users, with most popular social media networking sites being Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and X (Twitter) (Source: Datareportal).  Barter for Better Fiji is a non-cash trading space where people trade what they have for what they need.  This barter system operates out of a Facebook group, with over 170,000 members.  The group was created to help sustain families and households through the COVID-19 pandemic. (Source: Pacific E-commerce Initiative December 2020).