Describes how widely e-Commerce is used, the primary sectors that sell through e-commerce, and how much product/service in each sector is sold through e-commerce versus brick-and-mortar retail. Includes what a company needs to know to take advantage of e-commerce in the local market and reputable, prominent B2B websites.
Last Published: 7/25/2019

B2B/B2C ecommerce sales channel

With more than 11.44 million internet users and a mobile internet penetration rate of 85%, Romanians purchased $3.90 bn. worth of products online in 2018. In 2018, they spent an average of $56.90 on online shopping from desktops and $49.18 on purchases made from mobile phones.  Approximately 80% of the traffic recorded by major online stores is generated by mobile devices.  According to the National Institute of Statistics (NIS), 86% of Internet users connect online from the mobile phone, and the broadband mobile Internet connection has increased by $0.63 mln.  The number of fixed broadband Internet connections increased from $1.07 mln. (2017) to $1.14 mln. (2018), and 53% of urban internet users made at least one purchase monthly.

According to NETOPIA Payments, the average percentage of online card payments in 2018 was around 15%, with a maximum paid amount of $419.90.  As GPeC (Greater Phoenix Economic Council) estimates, the e-commerce market will reach and exceed the $5.58 bln. threshold in 2020.  The main categories of products sold online are: Electro IT&C (both hardware and software), home & garden, the auto sector, home & deco, and fashion & beauty, having the largest share in B2B e-commerce.  Romanians are primarily looking for: free and fast delivery, discounts and promotional campaigns, and free returns (even though the current national laws leave the cost of the return to the shopper).

Online purchases

$3.90 bln. is strictly the e-tail segment – that is, the physical (tangible) products that were bought over the Internet.  However, this amount doesn’t include services, utility bills, air tickets, holidays, hotel bookings, show tickets, downloadable content, etc. 

As in other countries, e-commerce solutions that rely on existing payment relationships have been very successful in Romania.  In 2018, there were 15,000 online stores.  The biggest are: eMAG.ro, Okazii, Cel.ro, Altex, Elefant, Flanco, and Domo.

The preferred method of payment remains pay on delivery (approx. 85%).  However, according to the information provided by mobilPay and PayU processors, the percentage of online card payments has increased by 33% between Semester 1 2018 and the same period in 2017 (8 billion EUR).  The total amount of online card payments exceeded 3.5 billion euros in 2018, up 30% from 2017 (source: www.gpec.ro).

Prepared by our U.S. Embassies abroad. With its network of 108 offices across the United States and in more than 75 countries, the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce utilizes its global presence and international marketing expertise to help U.S. companies sell their products and services worldwide. Locate the U.S. Commercial Service trade specialist in the U.S. nearest you by visiting http://export.gov/usoffices.