This trend indicates cautious consumer behavior and a tightening of budgets for purchases that are not immediate necessities, leading to significant fluctuations across different retail verticals.
The strongest growth was reported in the electronics, gadgets, and accessories segment, which rose by over 42% in value and 35% in the number of orders. This growth was driven simultaneously by attracting new buyers and an increase in the average order value. Another vertical on an upward trend was pharmaceuticals, with a 30% increase in transaction volume and a 26% increase in total value; it was the only category to grow exclusively in volume, as the average order value recorded a slight decrease (from EUR29 to EUR28).
Books and music posted a 16% increase in value, though this was driven almost entirely by an 11% rise in the average order value, likely reflecting the increase in the VAT rate applied to publishing products. The fashion segment remained stable, with changes of less than 3% (down 1% in value, down 2% in orders).
In contrast, beauty products suffered the sharpest decline of the first half: a 20% drop in value and a 21% drop in the number of orders. The average transaction value remained unchanged in this segment, an indicator suggesting a reduction in purchase frequency rather than a shift toward cheaper products. Children’s products also experienced a negative trend (an 8% decline in value and an 18% drop in the number of orders), a development that company representatives say was due to the shift in impulse demand for toys toward international Asian platforms.
At the macroeconomic level, the platform estimates that the local e-commerce market will exceed EUR8.5 billion in 2026, an increase of about 5% compared with the EUR8.1 billion reached in 2025. The analysis shows that June 2026 delivered the best results of the half-year, with a 12.5% increase in sales value and a 6.2% rise in the number of orders, signaling a potential easing of consumer caution in the second half of the year.
“The data confirms what we were seeing at the beginning of the year: the market is no longer growing uniformly; it is growing selectively. What the pharmaceutical and electronics sectors have in common is that their demand is driven by a constant need,” said Arthur Radulescu, CEO of MerchantPro.
“In categories where purchases remain impulse buys, easily postponed, demand is contracting. We’ll see in the third quarter whether the signs of easing in June translate into higher demand or whether polarization remains the new normal for the market.”
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)