Online commerce already dominates IT&C, electronics and home appliances sales, has grabbed a significant slice of the fashion and grocery sales and is just beginning on the auto market. Yet the coming years will bring exponential growth as the major players like Automobile Bavaria, Porsche Romania and even Automobile Dacia are discussing the issue more and more often and have even launched online services.
The quality of the photos of the car, the car service facility that prepares the used vehicle for sale and how often the website is updated are the ‘key to success’ on an extremely competitive auto market, such as Germany, explains George Dorobantu, CEO of Automobile Bavaria, who supervises the operations in both Romania and Germany.
“60% to 70% of our used car sales in Germany are made online, we don’t even interact with the end customer. Communication is done entirely online, payment is made online and the car is delivered to their home. Sales will steer towards online and less and less to the traditional way, where customers come to the showroom. (…).”
Romania is seeing the highest growth of the electronic commerce market in Europe, with sales reaching EUR2.05 billion in 2017, up 38% on 2016.
Four in ten urban Internet users shopped online at least once a month in 2017. Online sale are projected to amount to EUR2.7 billion to EUR2.8 billion in 2018.
Dacia, for instance, had an exclusive online offer of the new Duster in December, allowing people to make a down payment online and then go complete the purchase at a dealership of their choice.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)