Compared to the previous shopping event, Romanians spent 43% more than in 2021, when the value of card payments neared EUR3.4 million (RON17 million).
The number of card transactions was also considerably higher in 2022, with over 190 thousand payments being recorded through Global Payments terminals, 40% more than last year (136,127). The average amount paid with the Black Friday card was around RON128.
Most of the transactions were made in supermarkets and grocery stores, where Romanians spent almost EUR2 million in a single day (RON9 million). DIY and building materials stores were the next in the top of merchants where card payments were made. Here, another EUR800,000 was spent (RON4 million), almost double the amount spent last year on Black Friday (+47%). In supermarkets and DIY stores, card payments have gone through POS or GP tom, the application that turns a smartphone into a mobile POS.
The value of online payments registered an increase of 64% compared to the previous edition of Black Friday, while the number of transactions registered an increase of only 30%. Basically, this shows that Romanians spent online an average amount higher than last year, when it was RON321, reaching RON403, on Black Friday 2022. Most of the transactions were made in sports goods stores, followed by those with pet products. The value of online transactions was very close, with Romanians spending on average RON300 on sporting goods and RON287 on products for their non-speaking friends.
Romanians have gained trust in digital payment instruments, also making online transactions with very high values. They bought, for example, clothes worth over RON8,000, a watch of over RON5,000 or phones worth over RON1,800.
A study conducted by Cognition revealed that when it comes to card payments, Romanian consumers seek to purchase high-quality products (65%), closely followed by products that offer rewards or benefits when purchasing, such as discounts or gifts (43.3%), the third place of preference (39%) being occupied by products for which they feel they have benefited from a high level of customer service, as the main determining factor of the acquisition.