• The number of online orders has increased. The average amount of online spending has almost doubled. More users pay by card. Reviews play an important role in the purchase decision
The e-commerce market in 2019 recorded transactions worth 4,25 billion euros, while estimates for this year announce an increase in sales totaling up to 6 billion euros.
The number of people shopping online increased by 13% compared to 2019, and the average amount spent shopping online saw a significant increase of 41% compared to the previous year.
The largest increase in online sales was recorded for Catering/Cooked food delivery services, from 212 LEI in 2019 to 475 LEI in 2020 (124% increase). So, the habit of consumers to frequently order culinary preparations is a sign that bakery, pastry and confectionery products can also be successful in the e-commerce market.
Another behavioral change was the way customers chose to pay for purchases, with the incidence of online card payments increasing by 17% compared to 2019.
Online product reviews
Reviews play a very important role in the online purchase process. Especially in 2020, when the number and value of online orders increased, reviews contributed to brand awareness. According to the study, 55% of respondents would not buy from an online store for which they cannot find reviews, while 75% actively look for reviews before making a purchase. The main reason users read reviews is to check if the products have the quality advertised by the merchant (74%). Other reasons are: responses to negative reviews (50%), how real the reviews seem to be (47%), if there is a mix of positive and negative reviews (36%), information about speed of delivery (36%) .
In terms of trust, 37% trust reviews on websites independent of stores, 36% in opinions from Social Media and 27% in testimonials displayed by online stores on their own pages.
The study on the e-commerce sector in Romania was carried out by iSenseSolutions between March and October 2020. The sample is representative of the urban environment, and the data were collected biannually, in May (at the end of the quarantine period) and in October.
