Ecommerce Romania grows to €600 mln

The local ecommerce market in Romania reached approximately 600 million euros in 2013. Approximately, because these are not the hard facts but based on statements given by the main players of the Romanian online retail market. According to data from GPeC, one in four Romanian internet users buy online.

GPeC, which calls itself the most important ecommerce event in Romania, published the key figures and statistics for the Romanian ecommerce market for 2013. It should be noted that the aforementioned 600 million euros only refers to products sold online, and not services, bills, air tickets, tickets to shows, vacations and trips, et cetera.

The number of internet users in Romania reached 10 million last year, which represents a growth of 11% compared to the number of internet users in 2012. The average online buyer from Romania is between 25 and 35 years old. The group of online buyers that is in the 45 to 45 segment has grown with 5%, now accounting for 15% of all online shoppers in the Eastern European country.

Popular online payment methods in Romania
The number of transactions increased by approximately 35$ year-on-year in 2013, officials from VISA, MasterCard and RomCard told during the eCommerce Awards Gala which took place in November last year. However, the average Romanian online consumer like to pay with cash on delivery. This payment method is used in over 90% of all transactions.

One of the more interesting statistics the officials presented, was the fact that the majority (60%) of online credit cards transactions are international, while only 40% of them are domestic transactions. Local online stores are seemingly less popular than websites abroad.

It’s estimated that the Romanian ecommerce market consists of 4,500 online stores, which is 1,000 more than in 2012.