The most popular products during this period were toys (up 83%), gifts (80%), confectionery (59%) and flowers (39%).
According to payment service provider Romcard’s statistics, ecommerce grew in volume by 42% in the first quarter, compared with the first quarter of last year, to a value of EUR51.9 million, while the PayU platform processed transactions worth EUR43.2 million.
“The market is growing quickly this year, thanks to a number of factors. On the one hand, Visa and MasterCard are running several campaigns promoting online payments and attracting more buyers. On the other hand, there is a strong stimulus from new players, mobile operator Cosmote being the most important. There is also the market’s natural evolution, as the buyers’ confidence increases,” Romcard general manager Marin Mitroi said in a press release.
Cristian Herghelegiu, PayU Romania country manager, sees 2012 as a year of innovation for local e-commerce. “Romanians will enjoy the same security when paying online, but will have more payment methods and additional services at their disposal, and the shopping experience will be much improved. Online shoppers have become more sophisticated – they demand guarantees, know their rights and are growing more exacting,” he said.
The first quarter of 2012 also saw more interest for online sales from large companies, after the number of new players to this field stagnated in 2011.
PayU Romania is a provider of integrated e-commerce solutions and a member of the PayU Group, owned by multinational media group Naspers Ltd. In 2011, PayU processed more than two million transactions worth EUR138.8 million and making up 88% of Romcard’s total volume.