House Rules

What you need to know about registering for GPeC E-Commerce Proficiency

  1. Participation can be public or 100% confidential (no mention of the brand and no nomination at the eCommerce Awards Gala, unless the shop is the winner) by choosing the Incognito registration package;
  2. Only online shops are accepted in the GPeC E-Commerce Proficiency program, regardless of their age or size of business;
  3. Online shops must fully meet the eligibility criteria. GPeC staff will review each shop and issue a report outlining any issues, as well as recommendations for fixing them. Don't worry if you don't meet all the criteria at the time of registration - we advise you and help you to become eligible but, above all, to respect the legislation in order to avoid fines;
  4. Once the eligibility criteria are met, the shops receive the Trusted.ro certification and the possibility to implement the Feedback.Trusted.ro system - both free of charge for 12 months. Start-up online shops with less than 6 months of experience on the market will receive the Trusted.ro certification when they are 6 months old;
  5. From the moment of registration in the program, the online shops will be tested in terms of the proper functioning of the online order flow. We will place explicit test orders (clearly stating that these are orders that do not need to be delivered, made just to verify the entire checkout process);
  6. In addition to the registration test orders that do not have to be honored / delivered by online shops, GPeC auditors will also perform Mystery Shopping by placing 1 real order* during the GPeC E-Commerce Proficiency program (March - September 2022). This order will not be explicitly marked and will therefore need to be delivered to assess the response time and quality of the shop's services. The order will be returned on delivery and the cost of transport will be incurred exclusively by the participating shops;
  7. Registration for the GPeC E-Commerce Proficiency 2022 requires a minimum participation fee of EUR 449 + VAT for the Lite package, the price increasing for Platinum and Incognito packages;
  8. Registration for the GPeC E-Commerce Proficiency 2022 program should be done no later than 3rd June 2022, 11:59 PM;
  9. We reserve the right to accept in the program only online shops that agree and comply with the GPeC 2022 standards, starting with these conditions of participation, eligibility and auditing criteria and up to the format of the program as a whole.

*GPeC auditors will order reasonably priced products that appear to be in the shop's own stock - so as not to create difficulties for merchants enrolled in the program. Shops that sell perishable services or products, travel agencies, etc. will be considered valid exceptions where no mystery shopping orders will be placed, but the online order flow will be checked.

Eligibility criteria for GPeC E-Commerce Proficiency 2022

Don’t worry if you don’t meet all the criteria when you sign up. We will help you meet them!

To qualify for the GPeC E-Commerce Proficiency 2022 program you must fully meet the pre-selection criteria listed below - they represent obligations according to the legislation in force and also e-commerce good practices. If you comply, you are received in the program, get the Trusted.ro qualification and the Feedback.Trusted.ro system for free for 12 months.

There is no issue if you don’t meet all the pre-selection criteria when you sign up. We will do an evaluation of your online shop and tell you exactly what needs fixing and how to do it - it is important to implement our recommendations first to become eligible and comply with applicable legal obligations and avoid potential fines.

We will help you meet all the criteria and work by e-commerce law and good practices

Even if you have questions or do not yet meet all the above mentioned criteria, you can already sign up for the GPeC E-Commerce Proficiency 2022 program because we will be auditing you, point out the issues and tell you how to fix them. So don't worry! It is important to implement our recommendations and you will be sure that you comply with the legislation in force, then we accept you in the program.

GPeC E-Commerce Proficiency groups and categories

Each online shop has its specifics, that’s why you have to choose a single group and a single product type category that represent your core-business.

1. Groups: Start-up, Experienced or Professional. Where do you fit?

Start-up

Sign your online shop up for the Start-up group if:

  • It has less than 1 year of activity on sign-up

Experienced

Sign your online shop up for the Experienced group if:

  • It has between 1 and 3 years of activity*

Professional

Sign your online shop up for the Professional group if:

  • It has at least 3 years of activity (was launched no later than March 2019)
  • It has traffic ranking on SimilarWeb under 20.000 for Romania
  • Accepts online payments (with card)
  • Market experience is the period of time since the shop was launched and made accessible to the general public, NOT the date of registration of the domain;
  • *Shops that are more than 3 years old but that do not meet the criteria specific to the “Professional” group (Traffic Ranking on SimilarWeb or accepting online payments by card) will be automatically included in the “Experienced” group.

2. Categories according to the products / services marketed

After you have chosen your group, you will have to opt for one single category in the competition - your core business:

  • Advertisements (auto ads, real estate, products or services from natural and legal persons / classifieds etc.)
  • Baby, Kids, Toys / Childcare (baby items, hygiene and health baby items, clothes, games, toys, beds, strollers, cradles, baby walkers, accessories etc.)
  • Books, Magazines, eBooks, Music & Films (online bookstores, publishing houses, antique shops, specialty books, guides, atlases, city plans, newspapers, magazines, periodicals, news portals, music CDs, DVDs, downloadable music and films, eBooks etc.)
  • Car, Motorcycle and Machinery (cars and accessories, industrial machinery, spare parts, service, consumables, parts and subassemblies etc.)
  • DYI, Garden & Tools (building materials, accessories, DIY, various tools, finishes, parquet, paneling, tiles, carpets, doors, hardware, trimmer, work safety products and equipment etc.)
  • Fashion (clothing, footwear, underwear, swimwear, fashion accessories, clothing and knitwear, collections, bags, belts, sunglasses, hats, scarves, necklaces etc.)
  • Flower Shops (flowers, flower arrangements, wreaths etc.)
  • Food & Beverages (catering, food delivery, fast food, fruits, vegetables, canned food, coffee, tea, alcoholic drinks, soft drinks, sweets etc.)
  • Gifts & Jewelry (jewelry, watches, albums, photo frames, decorations, souvenirs, art objects, collections, antiques, funny gifts, personalized gifts etc.)
  • Health & Beauty (cosmetics, treatments, online pharmacies, food supplements, weight loss products, perfumes, creams, makeup, lotions, gels, SPAs, false eyelashes, specialized centers etc.)
  • Hobby, Leisure & Entertainment (hunting and fishing items, tents, boats, sleeping bags, philately, models, collectibles, leisure activities, online gaming websites, sex shop etc.)
  • HoReCa (articles and professional equipment for hotels, restaurants and cafes)
  • IT&C, Electronics and Home Appliances (computers, PC components, notebooks, phones, audio-video equipment, photo equipment, HI-FI, printers, networking, GPS systems, software, PC games and gaming consoles, TVs, refrigerators, air conditioning, small and large appliances, accessories etc.)
  • Natural, Organic & BIO Products (organic foods, organic household products, organic cosmetics etc.)
  • Online Services (insurance, tickets to shows/concerts/films, consultancy, prepaid card recharging, courses, paid electronic services, online credit/financial services etc.)
  • Pet Shop (pet food and accessories, products for animal health and hygiene, animal toys etc.)
  • Security & Surveillance Equipment (alarms, video surveillance, burglar alarm systems, fire alarm systems, intercoms etc.)
  • Shopping Club (exclusive online stores that require registration as a user to view offers)
  • Sports Articles (fitness gear, sports equipment, specific clothing and footwear, cycling, ski, bodybuilding, sport accessories etc.)
  • Stationery & Office supplies (folders, registers, paper, block notes, office equipment, writing and proofreading tools, school supplies, consumables, typefaces, bookcases, professional printing equipment, accessories etc.)
  • Supermarket, Mall, Marketplace (shops with a wide range of products that encompass many product categories)
  • Travel (products for travel, travel bags, trolleys, backpacks, briefcases, pouches, airline ticket reservations, vacations, stays, trips, hotel reservations etc.)

Important

  1. Participation in GPeC E-Commerce Proficiency can be public or 100% confidential (no mention of the brand and no nomination at the eCommerce Awards Gala, unless the shope is the winner) by choosing the Incognito registration package;
  2. In the case of the Lite and Platinum packages: For each category that includes at least two participating shops, whose audit score exceeds 120, a prize will be awarded at the eCommerce Awards Gala on 26 September 2022. If there are categories with 1 single participant OR if the score is below 120, the prize will not be awarded;
  3. If there are areas of activity not covered by the program categories, please contact us with your suggestions. We reserve the right to set up new categories depending on the interest shown by the participating online shops.