Recurring Payments in Macedonia: Increasingly Subscribing Online – From Bills to Music Streaming

What are recurring payments?

Simply put, recurring payments are automatic online transactions that repeat at regular time intervals – most commonly monthly. Users enter payment card data once, and then don’t have to think about whether they’ve paid each month. Such examples include:

• Subscriptions to streaming services (Gley, Spotify, Netflix, ChatGPT)
• Bill payments (electricity, water, internet)
• Memberships (such as FitKit for fitness, professional associations)
• License and service renewals through digital platforms

What do the data from the first quarter of 2025 show for Macedonia?

According to the latest AETM analysis based on data from NBRM, recurring online payments are significantly increasing in Macedonia:

• 29% growth in value and 18% growth in the number of transactions from domestic cards to domestic e-merchants
• 29% growth in value and as much as 43% growth in the number of transactions to foreign e-merchants

This shows that an increasing number of Macedonians are using subscriptions as a payment method, but also increasingly paying bills online. This trend brings benefits such as timely payment, time savings and reduced use of cash.

Spotify – one of the most recognized subscription platforms in Macedonia

When we talk about recurring subscriptions, Spotify is definitely one of the most recognizable platforms among us. From music, to podcasts and specialized playlists, Spotify is already part of the daily life of a large number of Macedonians.

🇲🇰 Numbers for Spotify in Macedonia

• Around 170,000 active monthly users (both free and premium users)
• Only about 10-15% are Premium users (the rest use the free version with ads)

Why is Spotify an important example for recurring payments?

Spotify is a platform that requires a monthly subscription for Premium users, which means it uses the ability for automatic card charges. At the same time, it serves as one of the first services where many young users enter a card online for the first time, and thus begin to build their digital payment habits.

But Spotify is not just a tool for enjoying music – it is also a powerful digital advertising platform, especially when it comes to connecting with young, urban and digitally active consumers.

• 170,000 active monthly users use Spotify in Macedonia (the number varies depending on the season)
• Only 10–15% are Premium, which means over 150,000 users listen to ads
• Users are predominantly millennials and Gen Z, of which 32% have higher education, and 28% belong to higher income categories
• Spotify supports advertising in multiple formats – audio, video and display, and has proven effects on:
  • +105% increase in brand awareness
  • +102% increase in ad recall
  • +159% in multi-format campaigns

With the help of Aleph, local businesses in Macedonia can already plan and target ads on Spotify, which opens new opportunities for effective communication with the audience precisely at the moment when it pays the most attention – while listening to music, running, driving, relaxing.

Below we share several interesting example campaigns from brands that have used the power of Spotify for their advertising in a slightly different way that is also interesting for users.

Source: ecommerce.mk

Barilla x Spotify: playlists that tell you how long to cook their pasta

Barilla used Spotify’s creativity and created special playlists with duration according to the time needed to cook different pasta shapes – from spaghetti to fusilli. The “Playlist Timer” campaign was designed to make home cooking more interesting and connected with music.

The playlists are a mix of the most listened music genres in Italy – pop, hip-hop, indie and classical – and are creatively named, such as “Boom Bap Fusilli” or “Mixtape Spaghetti”. Each of them lasts exactly as long as needed for perfectly cooked pasta.

With this idea, Barilla managed to be part of people’s daily life at home, offering not just a product, but an experience – precisely through Spotify.

Adidas x Spotify: how Adidas successfully combined music and sport in Croatia

Adidas in partnership with Aleph and Spotify created a running playlist “adidas Runners”, which in a short time became a favorite training choice for athletes, with over 15,000 listens and 43,000 listened music minutes. The campaign was aimed at young active people, and invited them to join the running community through a special microsite, useful tips and motivational content.

More than 52% of the listens were from Spotify Premium users, which shows the platform’s power to create real connection with the audience.

Conclusion

Data for the first quarter of 2025 clearly shows that recurring payments are no longer a trend – they are a new habit of Macedonian consumers. From bill payments to subscriptions for digital content, more and more people choose convenience, automation and security in online shopping.

In all of this, platforms like Spotify play a key role – not only as a music listening service, but also as an example of modern subscription experience and innovative medium for brands. Through interesting campaigns like those of Barilla and Adidas, Spotify shows how music can become part of everyday life, not only for entertainment, but also as a tool for connecting with the audience.

Behind all these opportunities is also the support from Aleph, which enables brands in Macedonia to use the potential of Spotify for advertising – with precise targeting, creative solutions and strong effect on users.

Recurring payments not only change the way we shop – but also the way brands communicate, people listen, and overall – how we live in the digital everyday.

This article was written in collaboration with E-commerce Macedonia Association.