{"id":18884,"date":"2022-02-22T11:10:15","date_gmt":"2022-02-22T09:10:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gpec.ro\/blog\/?p=18884"},"modified":"2022-02-22T11:22:40","modified_gmt":"2022-02-22T09:22:40","slug":"gpec-romanian-e-commerce-2021-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gpec.ro\/blog\/en\/gpec-romanian-e-commerce-2021-report","title":{"rendered":"GPeC Romanian E-Commerce 2021 Report: 6.2 billion euro worth of online shopping, a 10% YoY growth"},"content":{"rendered":"
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According to ARMO<\/a> (Association of Romanian Online Stores), GPeC<\/a> and other industry players’ estimates, the e-commerce sector reached the 6.2 billion euro threshold at the end of 2021<\/strong>, almost 10% more than in 2020 when the value of e-commerce was estimated at 5.6 billion euro. The increase was slightly below the initial forecasts of expected 15% growth and 6.5 billion euro in online sales at the end of the year.<\/span><\/p>\n

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One of the reasons for the slower-than-expected growth was the low stockpiles of most global producers who had been affected by the pandemic and the difficulties encountered in the entire supply chain.<\/span><\/p>\n

Also, the rise in energy prices at the end of 2021 has had a negative impact on the durable goods market, according to an analysis by The Economist<\/strong> which shows that a 10% increase in the price of energy translates into a decrease of 4.7 % of the durable goods market.<\/span><\/p>\n

Last but not least, it must be taken into account that the Romanian e-commerce sector has entered a stage of consolidation that was expected since 2020, but which was postponed by the pandemic through the accelerated growth of online orders (30% increase recorded in 2020 compared with 2019)<\/strong>. This stage of consolidation and slight growth is also planned for 2022.<\/span><\/p>\n

The over 5.6 billion euro value of the Romanian e-commerce sector refers to all the transactions generated in Romania by both the local merchants and foreign online shops and it represents the e-tail segment only, that means only tangible products that were bought online. This cuantum does not include services, utility bills, digital content or plane tickets, vacations & travel, hotel reservations, show tickets or other events.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Andrei<\/p>\n

\u201cRomanian e-commerce is constantly growing, even though last year this growth was lower than the spectacular 30% recorded in 2020<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0compared to 2019. This shows us the considerable potential for further development, in a market that is still permissive and very attractive for both local and international players – more and more online businesses from abroad are being located in Romania, and the trend will continue this year „<\/em>, says Andrei Radu, CEO & Founder GPeC.<\/span><\/p>\n

„Starting from the value of 6.2 billion euros as a balance of Romanian online commerce in 2021 and making a simple calculation results that Romanians have spent, on average, almost 17 million euros every day <\/strong>of last year for online shopping – an increase from 15 million euros, the daily average recorded in 2020 „<\/em>, adds Radu.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Florinel\u201c2021 was a stage of consolidation and validation for e-commerce in Romania. After a dramatic increase in 2020 and, despite all the difficulties faced by sellers, whether we are talking about the semiconductor crisis or the seizure of supply chains, 2021 was the year in which e-commerce expanded and we exceeded the 6 billion euro turnover generated by this sector in Romania. I am convinced that there are sellers who would have sold much more if the economy, as a whole, had not faced these obstacles”<\/em>, says Florinel Chi\u015f, ARMO Executive Director.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the estimations of the main players on the market, Romanian e-commerce will move forward in this consolidation and slight growth stage, closing in to reaching the 7 billion euro<\/strong> threshold at the end of 2022.<\/span><\/p>\n

For 17 years, <\/span>GPeC<\/span><\/a> has been promoting the e-commerce sector in Romania, growing the largest community dedicated to online shops and organizing the main events dedicated to online commerce. Among others, GPeC centralizes the data and publishes the yearly Romanian E-Commerce Report.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are the main numbers, statistics and estimates for 2021.<\/span><\/p>\n

Romania in the European context: internet users and online shoppers<\/strong><\/h2>\n

According to the latest Eurostat report<\/strong><\/a> published in January 2022, 88% of Romanians used the Internet at least once in 2021,<\/strong> up from 85% in 2020.<\/span><\/p>\n

44% of internet users made at least one online purchase<\/strong> in 2021, the percentage being 1% lower than in 2020, but – overall – the number of online shoppers has increased, given the growth of the internet base. Of the EU countries, Romania is followed only by Bulgaria with 42% of online shoppers out of total internet users.<\/span><\/p>\n

If we refer to the entire population<\/strong> of Romania in the 16-74 age range (not only to internet users), 38% shopped online<\/strong> in 2021<\/strong>, a significant increase from 23% as a percentage in 2019 before the pandemic, which demonstrates the impact of the covid health crisis on the accelerated growth of the e-commerce sector.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, Romania is at the bottom of the ranking compared to the European average where 66% of the population (16-74 years old) shopped online in 2021, which shows the great potential for growth of the Romanian e-commerce sector in the coming years.<\/span><\/p>\n

On the age range of 16-74 years, top rankers are:<\/span><\/p>\n