Romanians spent some EUR 2.8 million online only in 2017, 40% more than the year before, according to estimations from local ecommerce companies. This is one of the highest growth rates in the EU.

Online shoppers spent some EUR 7.7 million daily in Romania last year, and most of them (85%) prefer to pay cash on delivery. The amounts include only physical goods sold online, but excludes utilities and services, as well as downloadable software.

“It’s a huge leap and shows the increasing appetite for online shopping, and the accelerated growth potential for the local ecommerce,” said Andrei Radu, founder and CEO of the ecommerce awards event GPeC.

The Romanian ecommerce market could reach EUR 5 billion in 2020, according to Radu’s forecast. Ecommerce stood for about 5.6% of the retail market in Romania last year, up from 4% in 2016.

GPeC publishes a yearly ecommerce report. Romania has some 7,000 online stores, up from 5,000 in 2016. Pundits expect it to double, to some 14,000 online shops in 2018.

editor@romania-insider.com