Up to eight million Romanians shopped online in 2020. Are some of them your customers? Kickstart your eshop’s expansion and seize a chance that may not be repeated. In the following lines, you will learn how to establish your business on the Romanian ecommerce market.
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Start a Successful Business
Many entrepreneurs don’t trust expansion. They ask why go abroad when they are doing well in their homeland. A lack of experience with foreign markets is often the main obstacle.
The doubts are in place, but the benefits far outweigh the risks!
Why Expand?
- Your sales can grow exponentially: You will no longer be limited by the market size, but only by your capabilities.
- In our experience, expanding eshops are more profitable.
- Provide stability to your business: Don’t rely on one market, spread the risk.
- Gain new experience and learn to adapt quickly to change.
The Romanian Market Is a Runaway Train
Romania is a huge market and the growth potential is enormous. The geographical proximity makes it easier to transport.
What makes ecommerce in Romania so unique?
- Out of a total population of 19.5 million, more than half have a bank account.
- In 2020, 48% of the population with internet access shopped online.
- For the last three years, the Romanian market has been growing at an average of 30% annually. This makes Romania one of the fastest growing e-commerce markets in Europe.
Thanks to these trends, Romania has become one of the top 3 markets for expansion. Together with Germany and Hungary, these 3 countries present growing ecommerce markets and acceleration opportunities for your company.
Romanian ecommerce profits over the last three years in billions of euros.
How to Have a Successful Ecommerce Store in Romania?
Eshops that adapt to the specifics, thrive. Don’t rely on one country’s experience. You need to understand Romanian customers and their shopping journey to really succeed.
Mobile devices kingdom
Mobile devices have a strong position. Already three years ago, we noticed that almost 75% of our clients’ website traffic comes from mobile. In comparison, the rest of the CEE region (Central and Eastern Europe region) was at 60%.
Conversions are coming from desktop
The numbers were different for actual shopping. Mobiles generated roughly half of the profit. That’s not to say that smartphones aren’t generating conversions. On the contrary, they are an important part of the customer journey.
Romanians like to do research on mobile, but they do the actual shopping on desktop. The reason is caution.
They spend a lot of time on mobile and social networks. According to the survey, it takes residents of big cities about 45 minutes to get to work. What do you think they do? They sit in public transport and look at their mobile phones.
This is a chance to reach them and engage them. When they get home, they’ll be happy to shop with you.
Build credibility
Perfect website translation is a must! Without 100% grammar, your credibility goes down. If you sell goods in other European countries, mention it. You will gain plus points and trust.
What are other tips to boost your website’s credibility?
- Use real images of your products
- Inform customers that you are an authorised dealer
- Show quality references
- Access clear terms and conditions
Cash on delivery prevails
If the word ‘cash on delivery’ makes you break out in a cold sweat, you’ll sweat even more in Romania. The most frequent and preferred method of payment is cash on delivery. The prevalence is really significant compared to other markets.
Cash on delivery pays for up to 80% of purchases.
Cash on delivery should definitely not be missing in your eshop. In Romania, it is an absolute must.
Frequent Returns
Romanians like to exercise their right to return goods. But not because they’ve changed their mind. They simply order the same goods from different sites and only keep the first package to arrive.
You can solve the situation by fast delivery or by keeping the customer informed about the status of their order. Make sure to summarise the order in the last step of the purchase. Customers need to see the product list, price, address and delivery method together.
Delivery to Romania
There is no mistake in contracting two carriers. We even recommend this step to most of our clients. When paying, give clients the choice. Usually they will choose the one they have a good experience with in their region.
Prepare for order growth
Have you considered all our previous tips? The next one is to ensure sufficient stock levels and optimised shipping processes. In Romania, speed is of the essence, so prepare for order growth.
Have a plan on how you will ensure delivery with a 200% increase in orders. Don’t keep customers waiting. They may not come back.
The impact of price comparison websites and inspiration portals
For certain segments, we recommend including items on inspiration portals and price comparison websites. Not only Google has a strong position in search, but also the Romanian branch of Idealo or PriceSpy: Compari.ro and the smaller comparison portal Shopmania.ro.
Campari.ro has relatively high traffic, but the competition is slightly lower than, for example, on price comparison websites in the Czech Republic or Germany. More than 2 million users visit Compari.ro monthly.
If you are in the fashion business, include Glami.ro in your sales channels.
The largest comparison portal in Romania is Compari.ro.
How to Search for New Markets?
It is understandable that Romania is not a suitable market for every eshop and segment. Market selection is a matter of deeper analysis. For it you need experience and quality input data. Dexfinity gained access to exclusive Google exporting tool.
The power of Google exporting tool
If you are considering expansion to Romania, we can tell you what the interest in your goods is, or what the search rate is in this tool. You will not only know the level of competition, but also the price for paid online advertising.
Google exporting tool provides data that your competitors don’t have. It will allow you to expand predictably and with less risk. The tool will also help you when you want to export but have no idea where.
Take advantage of market analysis tailored to your business.
Where should you expand?
Most eshops are looking for a market that will be large and buyable. Understandably, entering a market with millions of high-income customers sounds good. However, a mature market is also characterised by extreme competition and demanding customers.
With proper information and the right preparation, you stand a high chance of success.
Expand with 100% efficiency
We know that exporting is a step into the unknown for many. Clients who come to us have many questions and concerns. That’s why we have decided to provide the first one-hour consultation free of charge. You can book an hour with one of our specialists right now.
Thanks to the Dexfinity Editorial Staff for Creating This Article
Proposal: Alina Tutulan
Author: Adriana Černáčková
Editor: Martin Bartl
Translator: Mária Streďanská
Publisher: Róbert Hošták
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DIRECT CONTACTS
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Show us your project and we will talk about its growth potential.
Pavol Adamčák
Executive Director
+421 918 435 105
pavol.adamcak@dexfinity.com
Vladimír Nociar
Head of Business Development team
+421 903 568 464
vladimir.nociar@dexfinity.com
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