Great potential! Romania's online retail is expected to grow by 15%

The e-commerce platform VTEX (Romania) estimates in its report that trade volumes generated by e-commerce will continue to grow, with an annual growth rate of at least 15% expected this year , providing a strong environment for the development of domestic brands .

Romania is experiencing rapid digital development, which has directly affected the operation of traditional retail, causing more and more traditional retail to turn to online channels. Cristi Movila, head of VTEX Eastern Europe, said in an interview with Romania's Pravda that currently, VTEX has about 100 online stores in the Romanian market, receiving more than 1,000 orders every day, but the number of these online stores will triple in the next three years.

It is expected that the investment of established companies in the e-commerce field in digitalization, technology and services will accelerate growth. Movila said that VTEX is committed to building an integrated online shopping website for consumers. The brand will focus on the omni-channel development strategy, and through the transformation of the business model, provide a platform, support and help for retail brands affected by the epidemic in the form of online sales.

In 2020, only 45% of Romanian Internet users aged 16-74 shopped online, which is lower than the EU average (72%). However, in 2019, this figure was only 23%. Back in 2015, less than 20% of Romanian Internet users shopped online.

During the pandemic, Romania's online retail sales achieved a major leap, and the use of e-commerce in Romania almost doubled in 2020, increasing the popularity of online shopping. Although this base is not large, it is enough to show that Romanian e-commerce platforms have shown great potential in the entire European e-commerce market.

According to data from Romania insider.com , Romanian residents' online shopping preferences are concentrated in product categories such as fashion clothing and accessories, electronic products, books, home decoration products, and beauty and personal care products. They pay more attention to the price-performance ratio of products when shopping online.

As the saying goes , "after a dark tunnel there is always light at the end of the tunnel." After the epidemic, Romania's e-commerce is about to take advantage of the situation. The popularization of new models will bring new changes to Romania's traditional retail industry, which contains new opportunities.

Cross-border e-commerce market

European Market

Romania