ECommerce Market Expansion: forecasted value surpassing €8 billion in the year 2025
Score one for the country rats: Rural customers fueling eCommerce growth
After five years of rapid eCommerce growth triggered by the pandemic, MerchantPro, a top SaaS platform, unveils its 2025 eCommerce Insights report. This comprehensive study dives into local online commerce trends, predictions, and expert opinions, offering a clear picture of the industry's evolution.
Despite a tricky socio-economic climate, the resilient eCommerce market showed an impressive 8% growth over 2023, outpacing the anemic economic growth and retail sector by a country mile. One key contributor to this growth was the booming eCommerce sector in rural Romania, overshadowing the already established shopping culture of urban areas.
Here’s what's going down:
- Making waves in the boonies: Rural buyers are making a splash in the eCommerce market, with a higher adoption rate than their urban counterparts.
- Who runs the show: Over 2,000 Romanian merchants rely on MerchantPro, witnessing an 8% yearly boost in sales and driving the overall market growth.
- The big bucks: With an average online spend of €857 in 2024, Romanians are opening their digital wallets wider than ever.
Let's hear from Arthur Rădulescu, CEO of MerchantPro: "Romania's eCommerce continues to grow, but the playing field is becoming more competitive. Consumers are hungry for personalized deals and seamless shopping experiences. Our report illuminates the industry's shifts and offers merchants a roadmap to success."
Turns out, Romanians are getting smarter, choosier, and more discerning online shoppers. Here's the scoop:
- Bargain hunters on digital steroids: Price, fast delivery, and flexible returns have become dealbreakers when shopping online.
- Digital currency on the rise: One-third of eCommerce transactions in 2024 were paid by card, with digital payment methods like Revolut Pay and Apple Pay gaining ground.
- The Gen Z takeover: This tech-savvy generation is reshaping online commerce by loving mobile shopping, embracing video content, and valuing sustainability.
- A big shake-up: As more consumers shop from big marketplaces, merchants need to adapt their strategies to stay competitive.
- Shrewd shopping decisions: Consumers consider free shipping, detailed product descriptions, cost transparency, flexible delivery options, and secure returns when choosing an online store.
Here's the low-down on preferred categories, which are constantly evolving:
- Beauty and personal care surpass fashion: Defying recent trends, beauty and personal care products have stolen the top spot in the shopping carts of 64% of Romanians.
- Pharma's rise: The healthcare vertical has gained popularity over electronics, surprising many.
As for the eCommerce market structure, it's heating up:
- Small fry and sharks: 98.3% of eCommerce companies are small players, generating only 41% of market revenue. The remaining 33% goes to large companies who leverage economies of scale.
Lastly, big international merchants are leaving their mark:
- Chewbacca’s calling: 64% of Romanians shop from international sites for cheaper prices, while almost half (47%) search for products unavailable locally.
eCommerce Insights 2025 thoroughly explores the trends, like the impact of AI, border openings, regional competition, legislative changes, and the rise of "as a Service" solutions. Amid challenges and opportunities, Romanian eCommerce continues to evolve and expand.
Stay tuned for more 2025 insights from industry influencers like Google, Visa, FAN Courier, PayU GPO, Netopia, GPeC, ARMO, MTH Digital, The Marketer, DHL International, Innoship, RTB House, Aqurate, and Compari.ro, as they weigh in on the changing face of local eCommerce.
- By 2025, technology's role will be strengthened** in the rural eCommerce market with the rise of AI and other solutions, according to the MerchantPro's 2025 eCommerce Insights report.
- In the forecast, the average online spend of rural Romanians is projected to reach €857 in 2024, a significant increase from previous years.
- With ecommerce showing continued growth in rural areas, the report advises merchants to focus on providing personalized deals and seamless shopping experiences to retain and attract customers.
