Our journey of discovery through Europe’s most interesting eCommerce markets continues. Today we fly to Romania, certainly one of the most dynamic and fast-growing markets in Eastern Europe and, for this reason, one to keep an eye on.
In this article, we analyse all the data you need to know about eCommerce in Romania and the consumption habits of Romanian eShoppers, who are characterised compared to consumers in the rest of Europe by the special attention they pay to the sustainability of eCommerce.
Here, then, is everything you need to know about eCommerce in Romania!
Internet Users and eShoppers in Romania
Romania, famous for its Transylvanian forests, its churches and its medieval castles (including the famous Bran Castle, associated with the legend of Dracula – Halloween is approaching, so we couldn’t fail to mention it) has a population of over 19 million.
Of these, according to data from the very fresh European E-Commerce Report 2024, as many as 94 per cent have accessed the Internet in the last year; yet, only 55 per cent, to date, use eCommerce for their purchases.
However, although the percentage of eShoppers is still much lower than in other European countries, what interests us is the growth trend of e-commerce in the country.
The growth of the eCommerce in Romania
In fact, the Romanian eCommerce market has grown significantly in recent years, with annual growth rates of over 30% and a total market value estimated at around EUR 7 billion.
Suffice it to say that in 2019 eShoppers accounted for just 23% of the population, in 2023 they reached 50% and today we are already at 55%. In short, the trend seems unstoppable.
The boost came, as in the rest of the world, in 2020 with the Covid-19 pandemic: in just one year, eShoppers increased from 23% to 38%. Many consumers who started buying online during the lockdown have not stopped doing so since.
Best-selling product categories online in Romania
Among the product categories driving eCommerce in Romania are consumer electronics, with online sales mainly of smartphones, computers and other electronic devices.
This is followed by fashion, which is growing rapidly: clothes, shoes and accessories are increasingly sold on digital platforms that are mainly local – 96% of eShoppers, in fact, choose national retailers – but also international.
In third position are household products, followed by cosmetics and, more generally, health and personal care products.
Main eCommerce channels in Romania
As anticipated, 96% of Romanian eShoppers are particularly fond of domestic eCommerce, while 19% also buy online from sellers from the rest of Europe and only 7% from stores from other parts of the world.
Among the most successful eCommerce platforms is eMAG, the largest eCommerce player in Romania and, more generally, in South-Eastern Europe, offering a wide range of products from technology to fashion. But it is not the only one.
Altex, a retailer known mainly for electronics and household appliances, is also very successful; as is Fashion Days, one of the leading fashion eCommerce outlets in Romania; Elefant.ro, a platform offering a wide range of products, including books, fashion, electronics and household items; and finally Vivre.ro, specialising in furniture and household items, which is very popular among consumers.
The habits of Romanian eShoppers
As we have seen, e-commerce has only been a habit for many consumers for a few years, so they are still getting the hang of it.
For this reason, Romanian eShoppers still prefer cash on delivery in many cases, although credit and debit card payments are on the rise.
However, there is one aspect that Romanian consumers have in common with those in the rest of Europe, although it makes them stand out in a positive sense. This is the propensity of Romanian eShoppers towards sustainability.
Romanian eShoppers’ focus on sustainability
In the Romanian market,” Cristian Pelivan, Executive Director of the Romanian Association of Online Stores, recently explained in his interview for European E-Commerce Report, “the demand for sustainable products and eco-friendly packaging is growing, thanks to the increasing environmental awareness of consumers. In fact, research by MKOR shows that 38% of Romanians consciously recognise the environmental impact of their consumption habits. The most popular categories of sustainable products are food, beverages, cosmetics, household products and fashion. However, there is also strong interest in refurbished digital devices, especially smartphones and tablets. As a result, online retailers are also optimising their logistics management to reduce their carbon footprint’.
In short, Romanian eShoppers seem to be among the most attentive in Europe to the topic of green eCommerce logistics. For this reason, in addition to traditional home deliveries, more and more collection points are spreading in Romania where customers can pick up their online purchases in a more flexible and, above all, sustainable way.
Moreover, solutions of this kind are particularly advantageous for a country such as Romania, where there are many rural areas that are still difficult to reach and where home delivery might therefore be more complex to manage.
Lockers and Pick-up Points for eCommerce Out Of Home deliveries in Romania
In Romania, to date, there are already 13,037 unique Pick-up Points for eCommerce Out Of Home deliveries, of which 4,791 are Lockers.
Poşta Română (the Romanian Post Office) is to date the biggest player as far as Collection Points are concerned, while as far as Lockers are concerned, the industry leader is the operator Sameday, sister company of the leading eCommerce operator eMAG.
In short, considering that eCommerce in Romania is growing – and will continue to grow – exponentially, with more and more eShoppers paying close attention to the issue of sustainability, Romania could soon become an example for all European countries in terms of Out Of Home deliveries. Who knows, maybe one day even surpassing neighbouring Poland…
Meanwhile, if you are a merchant and would like to integrate Lockers and Pick-up Points to your eCommerce now, choose GEL Proximity! We can offer you over 200,000 Pick-up Points already active throughout Europe.
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