Online sales in Romania in H1 2024 were more than 9 percent higher compared to the same period of the previous year, according to a specialist survey released on Wednesday by local SaaS-based e-commerce platform MerchantPro.

According to data centralized in the report, the positive dynamics is mainly due to developments in the second quarter, when online sales rose by over 12 percent. In terms of orders placed by customers in the first half of 2024, the growth pace is similar to 2023, at 6.71 percent.

„Automation and Artificial Intelligence, customer loyalty, the diversification of business models and increased competition are some of the main trends and challenges that characterize the local e-commerce market in the first half of the year. The market development prospects are backed by the real dynamics in the first part of of the year. Romania’s eCommerce market continues to grow, fueled by access to digital technology and the increase in the income of the young population and digital natives, but electronic commerce has reached the age of maturity. Year-to-year growth is moderate and the competition is getting fiercer, especially from strong international competitors, both brands from the EU or, as in the last 12 months, non-EU players such as Shein or Temu, whose global rise is gaining momentum,” experts estimate.

AGERPRES