The analysis shows an increase of more than 8% in the value of orders year-on-year. The number of orders increased by 3% and average shopping cart was 5.15% bigger, pointing an increase in the value per purchase, MerchantPro officials said in a statement.
“The local eCommerce market shows steady performance, but the international competition, especially from Chinese platforms, is putting pressure on retailers. Differentiation no longer comes from price alone but also from customer experience. The personalization of offers, the integration of AI solutions for more relevant recommendations and the automation of the order management processes are key elements for long-term success,” said Arthur Radulescu, MerchantPro CEO.
The e-commerce market growth trend varied a lot quarter to quarter in 2024, the MerchantPro official added. Growth was moderate in the first quarter, (January-March), 5% in the value of orders and 4% in the number of transactions, mainly because of the solid February performance (9.5%).
The second quarter (April-June) was the best, with 12% growth in the value of orders, peaking in April, when the growth reached 28% compared with April 2023. Growth remained steady in the third quarter (July-September), 11%, mainly driven by the rise in the number of orders in September (8.5%).
Amid elections in November and economic uncertainty, the final quarter of the year (October-December) saw a rather modest growth, less than 5% of the revenue and a stagnation (+0.1%) of transactions. Despite a 10% rise in value in October, the increase in November and December was minimal, 4% and 1%, due to political uncertainty and decline in purchasing appetite, as well as to a more careful planning of the budgets by consumers and retailers, MerchantPro report said.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)