In 2020, a huge number of Romanians discovered online shopping — and they’ve stuck with it ever since. In this article, we will explain what e-commerce retailers should keep in mind when expanding into this growing market.

Romania at a Glance

Romania, a country located in southeastern Europe country, stretches from the Black Sea in the southeast to the Carpathian Basin in the northwest, covering an area of nearly 240,000 km²—about the size of the UK. The country shares borders with Ukraine to the north, Moldova to the northeast, Bulgaria to the south, and Serbia to the southwest. Home to around 19 million people, Romania is the sixth most populous EU member state.

A third of Romania’s population lives in the central Transylvania region and the Dobruja region along the Black Sea. The capital city, Bucharest, has around 1.72 million residents and is located in the southern part of the country. If you include the surrounding metropolitan area, the population increases to an estimated 2.3 million, which is roughly the same size as the Brussels metropolitan area. Other major cities include Iași, Cluj-Napoca, Timișoara, and Constanța.

Romania ranks 53rd globally on the UN’s Human Development Index (HDI) with a score of 0.827 as of 2022 (Germany: 0.950; Austria: 0.926). Its GDP stands at US$351 billion, with a per capita purchasing power of approximately US$47,900 (Germany: US$61,909). Measured by per capita purchasing power, Romania is economically similar to the Czech Republic or Finland.

Romania’s economy is primarily driven by services and manufacturing. Services account for 60.7% of total gross value added, while industry contributes 26.69%.

Germany is Romania’s top trade partner, responsible for 19.4% of imports and 20.84% of exports. Other significant partners include Italy, France, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Poland.

The Romanian currency, the leu (RON), is divided into 100 Bani. Over the past 5 years, one euro has been worth between 4.75 and 5 leu.

Language and Localization

Romanian is the official language and is spoken by about 90% of the population, with slight regional differences. The use of Romanian even extends beyond the border to the country of Moldova, where it is also the official language. Various ethnic groups speak several other languages, too: over 1 million inhabitants speak Hungarian, and a significant number of people speak Ukrainian or Serbian.

English and French are widely taught in schools, which helps to ensure smooth cross-border communication. In the 2018-2019 school year, 547,000 students learned English, while 72,000 studied French. However, studies have shown time and time again that shoppers prefer to shop in their native language whenever possible, so translating your website into Romanian is really a must if you want to target this market.

Digitalization and E-Commerce Trends in Romania

Until recently, internet usage in Romania lagged behind much of the EU. However, internet penetration has experienced a surge and has now reached approximately 84% of the population, or 18 million users. By 2029, about 98% of Romanians are expected to be online. Most Romanians now own smartphones, which has fueled the rapid rise of e-commerce. Currently, about 16.28 million people have mobile internet access. This is expected to increase to 95% of the population by 2029.

Like in most of the world, the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 was a major turning point for e-commerce adoption. As the world shifted to online everything, online shopping accelerated as well. Currently, around 9.7 million people shop online, a number which is expected to increase by 2.2 million by 2029—34% more than today. While many smaller retailers have seen their e-commerce sales drop back to pre-pandemic levels, the major online sellers have continued to see rapid growth.

The fashion segment is the top revenue driver, followed by electronics and media. In 2020, these categories accounted for 40% and 26% of e-commerce revenues, respectively.

As of 2021, online shoppers are mostly aged 35–44 (25% of purchases), followed closely by those aged 25–34. Men and women participate equally in e-commerce.

Price is a key motivator: a quarter of Romanians surveyed in 2020 said they shop online because products are cheaper. While 29% reported regular online shopping habits, 23% admitted they were initially driven online by the pandemic but have since embraced its convenience. In 2023, 41% of Romanians reported that free shipping was an important criterion for them when shopping online, followed by a detailed description of the product (27%) and no hidden fees (24%). Only 21% considered free returns to be an important consideration.

It’s also worth noting that 52% of Romanian e-commerce shoppers reported that they have bought online from foreign websites “several times,” 17% reported buying from local websites that sold goods from abroad, and only 13% reported never having bought from foreign websites.

Payment Preferences, Market Leaders, and Delivery Services

In Romania, prepaid cards, credit cards, and debit cards are the most common payment methods for online purchases. However, there’s a twist — in a 2022 survey, 36% of shoppers preferred to pay at the time of delivery (using either cash or card). 14% preferred to pay by card on the website, and only 4% reported using e-wallets. In 2023, 60% of respondents reported using debit cards for online payments within the past 12 months.

The top-selling website in the Romanian e-commerce market is emag.ro, which recorded US$789 million in revenue in 2022 and boasted over 53,000 online sellers as of 2022. Other major marketplaces include fashiondays.ro (US$246 million) and altex.ro (US$161.9 million). Together, these platforms account for around 35% of total e-commerce revenue.

Fan Courier is the most widely used delivery service, offered by 27% of Romanian online stores. Urgent Cargus and GLS follow, with market shares of 22% and 18%, respectively. In terms of revenue, the company Sameday (Delivery Solutions S.A.) is also a major player. In 2023, 51% of respondents said that knowing the delivery company was “extremely” or “very” important when shopping online.

Trade and Import Regulations

As an EU member state, Romania benefits from free trade within the European Union, with no customs duties or border checks for goods coming from other EU countries. Imports from outside the EU are subject to the EU’s common customs tariff.

Since 2021, the new unified EU-wide threshold of €10,000 applies to distance sales within the EU. If a company sells more than €10,000 worth of goods in other member states, it becomes liable for VAT in the country where its customers are located.

Product labeling must include details like the manufacturer’s name, product description, composition, and usage instructions — translated into Romanian. Products made outside the EU must meet EU standards, including CE marking, for sale within the union.

Summary

Romania offers immense potential for businesses looking to expand to new markets. Its dynamic, fast-growing e-commerce market and EU membership make it especially appealing for sellers in other EU countries. Since Romania’s largest e-commerce seller is a marketplace, and many Romanian consumers are willing to buy from cross-border merchants, e-commerce brands have many options for entering the market. With its strategic location at the crossroads of European trade routes and a rapidly digitalizing economy, Romania is a market ripe with opportunities.



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autor_eurotext_100Author: Eurotext Editorial Team

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