One in two Romanians with internet access buys food, coffee, hygiene products online (study)

One in two Romanians who have access to the internet currently buys food, coffee and hygiene products online, and over 60% of respondents intend to continue buying online, according to an iVox.ro study commissioned by Blugento, a Romanian company, provider of complete eCommerce solutions. According to the same study, two out of three Romanians pay for their purchases online, giving up cash, and the hygiene of the packaging or parcels is deemed the most important aspect for buyers. Data from the National Institute of Statistics show that over 34% of the average monthly expenditure of a family in Romania on food and non-alcoholic beverages holds by far the highest share in the consumer basket and is well above the EU average. According to Eurostat data, however, Romania is on the penultimate place in the European Union in terms of online shopping, which indicates a significant growth potential. Only 23% of the population, that is less than one in four Romanians, shopped online in 2019. "In general, all online service providers, including we, at Blugento, are currently flooded with quotation requests. Market figures show that online commerce is currently growing explosively in Romania. Practically, the pandemic is forcing the transition of the retail sector to a new business model, with a direct impact on manufacturers, the software industry, logistics operators, marketing and advertising services, etc.," said Sandu Babasan, CEO of Blugento. The study shows that the lack of stocks in physical stores was a determining factor for online shopping for products such as food (28%), personal hygiene and home care products (15%), cosmetics (14.6%) or coffee and teas (14%). More than half of those surveyed (almost 58%) stated that they are in voluntary isolation at home, and social distancing measures had predictable effects on buying behavior: they buy mainly basic products, with direct card payment on the store's website. Blugento is a Romanian company, provider of complete eCommerce solutions built on the Magento platform and which offers all the necessary functions for an online store. Blugento currently serves over 350 online stores.AGERPRES(RO - author: Nicoleta Banciulea, editor: Mariana Nica; EN - author: Simona Iacob, editor: Maria Voican)