GPeC: Romanian E-Commerce Market – EUR 600M in 2013

Cristina Blanaru Business, e-Commerce

Romanian online retail market reached to EUR 600M in 2013, according to statements made by main Romanian e-commerce players during the 8th edition of eCommerce Awards Gala (GPeC), which took place in November 2013 in Bucharest. This amount refers only to products sold online (whatever their nature) and does not include services, bills, air tickets, tickets for shows, vacations and trips.

GPeC released, recently, a series of figures and statistics on Romanian e-commerce market for 2013.

According to these, the internet users’ number in Romania reached to 10M in 2013, up 1M compared to previous year (Eurostat statistics). 27% of the Romanian people connect to the Internet, meaning that approximately 1 in 4 Internet users buy online, as Daedalus Millward Brown estimates. Most online buyers (84%) live in urban areas, with only 16% living in rural areas.

Most online buyers are aged 25 -35 y.o. Still, in 2013, the number of people belonging to the segment 45-55 y.o. increased by 5%, with this category representing now 15% of the eCommerce users, up from 10% in 2012.

Tthe online card transactions increased by 35% in 2013 compared to 2012, as VISA, MasterCard and RomCard officials said at eCommerce Awards Gala. Despite this increase, Romanians still prefer to pay cash on delivery, a method in 90% transactions.

 Most of the online credit card transactions (60%) are international and only 40% are local, according to MasterCard statistics, which means that Romanians spend more money on websites abroad. 

The Romanian e-commerce market counted around 4,500 online stores in 2013, up 1,000 compared to previous year, as the main market players estimated.

The Romanian e-commerce market expands steadily YoY with 33-35%. There are little, if at all, industries which still register such an increase. Even if in other neighboring countries such as Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary, the eCommerce market is more developed, Romania presents a fantastic growth potential and is high priority for investors when it comes to Eastern Europe

Andrei Radu,

Founder & CEO GPeC.

The figures published by GPeC are based on statistics and estimates made by VISA, MasterCard, RomCard, GPeC, Daedalus Millward Brown and the main players of the eCommerce market (representatives of top online shops).

GPeC (Romanian eCommerce Awards Gala) is the most important eCommerce event in Romania and the only online one that runs for eight months each year. The 9th edition will take place from April to November 2014.