Romanian Market Overview & Panel on Cross-Border and Domestic Logistics in Romania

Nikola Ilchev, Ph.D is among the most influential figures in the field of eCommerce in Bulgaria and the region. He has been involved in business since the end of 2006, and in online sales since 2011, when he launched his first digital project. Later, in 2016, he founded eCommerce Academy, which he continues to lead today. Through the Academy, Nikola unites and develops the eCommerce ecosystem in Bulgaria. He creates educational and informative content in the form of video productions for social media, as well as a podcast. The Academy has also published two books in Bulgarian. Nikola organizes some of the most successful eCommerce events in Bulgaria, including Balkan eCommerce Summit, which has gained remarkable popularity across Central and Eastern Europe.

I am a sales leader with 15+ years of experience in building teams, growing revenue and navigating complex, competitive markets. My background spans retail, direct sales, logistics and product marketing, with hands-on involvement in integrated product launches and process improvement initiatives. I have held business development and people management roles within Telekom, UPC Romania and Pall-Ex Romania, where I learned how to balance commercial pressure with long-term customer value. Today, I focus on scalable growth, strong partnerships and clear execution. I work well independently, but I’m at my best when collaborating with people who challenge ideas and push for better outcomes.

I am a Romanian entrepreneur and the CEO and Co-Founder of easySales, a platform I launched in 2019 together with my brother, Iulian, to make eCommerce management simpler and more efficient. At easySales, we help online stores list products quickly, process orders from multiple marketplaces, issue invoices and delivery documents automatically, and keep stocks and prices updated in real time. Our platform connects with major channels such as eMAG, Amazon, eBay, and Altex, and is now active in five European countries, supporting more than 1,000 retailers. My focus is to make online selling easier, faster, and more profitable for merchants.

Full Stack Marketer and Ecommerce Growth Strategist with a strong focus on customer-first marketing, profitability, and scalable growth. Starting from Customer Support, I built a deep understanding of consumer behavior and transformed that foundation into a results-driven ecommerce career. As part of an early-stage ecommerce team, I helped scale operations from the ground up, managing the full customer journey from acquisition and retention to monetization and automation. Currently leading ecommerce at Otter Distribution, I specialize in data-driven growth strategies, marketing automation, and performance optimization, contributing to significant net margin growth, improved profitability, and successful platform migration from Magento 1 to Magento 2. Passionate about building efficient KPI-driven teams and leveraging tools like Klaviyo, Nosto, and Funnel.io to create sustainable, customer-centric ecommerce growth.

This session explored the current state of the Romanian eCommerce market, its rapid growth, evolving consumer behavior, logistics infrastructure, marketplace dominance, and the operational realities brands face when expanding into Romania. The discussion combined market statistics with practical insights from experts working across eCommerce, logistics, marketplaces, and cross-border operations.

Romania Continues to Be One of the Most Attractive eCommerce Markets in the Balkans

The session opened with a broad overview of the Romanian market, highlighting:

• over 60,000 online merchants
• approximately €8.2 billion in physical product eCommerce sales
• and a rapidly growing cross-border segment.

Compared to neighboring countries, Romania remains one of the strongest and fastest-growing digital commerce markets in Southeast Europe.

One of the most important insights shared during the discussion was that:

68% of Romanian consumers shop online at least once per month.

This demonstrates:

• strong digital adoption
• high consumer confidence in eCommerce
• and significant growth opportunities for international brands entering the market.

Cross-Border eCommerce Is Expanding Rapidly

The panel emphasized that Romanian consumers are increasingly comfortable purchasing from international sellers, while Romanian merchants themselves are also becoming more active across regional markets.

Cross-border growth is particularly visible toward:

• Bulgaria
• Hungary
• Greece
• and other Balkan countries.

However, one of the key messages from the discussion was that:

localization remains essential for success.

Merchants entering Romania must adapt:

• payment methods
• customer support
• delivery options
• and communication style
  to local consumer expectations.

Cash-on-Delivery Still Dominates the Market

A major topic throughout the discussion was Romania’s continued reliance on:

cash-on-delivery (COD).

According to the panelists:

• approximately 60–65% of online orders are still paid via COD,
  although prepaid transactions are gradually increasing.

The speakers stressed that foreign merchants entering Romania cannot ignore COD because it remains deeply connected to:

• customer trust
• purchase confidence
• and conversion rates.

Brands that fail to offer COD often experience:

• lower checkout completion
• higher cart abandonment
• and weaker overall performance.

Locker Delivery Has Become a Standard Consumer Expectation

Another major trend discussed was the explosive growth of:

locker delivery networks.

According to the panel:

• more than 60% of deliveries in some urban areas are now completed through parcel lockers,
  especially in cities such as Bucharest.

Consumers increasingly expect:

• flexible delivery
• fast pickup
• and convenient self-service options.

The panelists highlighted that:

locker infrastructure is no longer a competitive advantage – it is becoming a market requirement.

Romanian Consumers Value Human Customer Support

One of the strongest cultural insights shared during the session was that Romanian customers still highly value:

direct human communication.

Consumers often prefer:

• phone support
• direct conversations
• and local-language assistance
  rather than fully automated systems.

This makes:

native customer support and local communication extremely important for international brands.

Romania Is a Marketplace-Driven Market

The discussion repeatedly described Romania as:

a marketplace-first ecosystem.

Marketplaces generate a very large percentage of online sales and continue to dominate product discovery and purchasing behavior.

The speakers explained that marketplaces provide:

• strong traffic
• fast sales generation
• and visibility for new merchants.

At the same time, they also warned that overreliance on marketplaces can:

• reduce margins
• limit brand ownership
• and create dependency risks.

The recommendation was clear:

marketplaces should be used strategically, while brands simultaneously invest in their own direct customer relationships and channels.

Automation Is Becoming Mandatory

A recurring theme throughout the panel was that:

operational automation is no longer optional.

As order volumes increase, businesses that rely heavily on manual processes struggle with:

• scalability
• profitability
• and operational efficiency.

The panel highlighted the importance of:

• inventory synchronization
• marketplace integrations
• order automation
• fulfillment systems
• and logistics technology.

Companies that fail to automate risk:

• operational bottlenecks
• slower growth
• and shrinking margins.

Profitability Matters More Than ROAS

One important insight from the panel was that many eCommerce businesses focus too heavily on:

ROAS (Return on Ad Spend),

while ignoring overall profitability.

The speakers emphasized that strong advertising performance alone does not guarantee a healthy business if:

• margins are weak
• operations are inefficient
• or retention is poor.

Instead, brands should focus on:

• customer lifetime value
• repeat purchases
• retention
• and long-term profitability.

Email Automation and Retention Flows Are Highly Underrated

The panel identified:

email automation

as one of the most underestimated revenue channels in Romanian eCommerce.

Not just newsletters,
but:

• post-purchase flows
• retention campaigns
• churn prevention
• and behavioral automations.

The speakers highlighted that increasing the likelihood of a second purchase significantly improves long-term customer value and overall profitability.

Meta, Google and Affiliate Channels Continue to Perform Strongly

From a customer acquisition perspective, the discussion highlighted:

• Meta ads
• Google Shopping
• CSS campaigns
• and affiliate marketing
  as the strongest-performing channels in the Romanian market.

Affiliate marketing was described as particularly valuable for growing merchants because:

• risk is lower
• commissions are performance-based
• and scaling can happen efficiently.

Delivery Experience Directly Impacts Conversion Rates

The logistics experts explained that:

delivery flexibility strongly influences checkout conversion.

Consumers increasingly expect:

• locker delivery
• PUDO points
• home delivery
• fast shipping
• and clear delivery visibility.

Lack of flexible delivery options was identified as a major contributor to:

• abandoned carts
• lower trust
• and weaker conversion performance.

Local Warehousing Creates a Strong Competitive Advantage

The panel also discussed the importance of:

regional fulfillment and local inventory.

Merchants shipping from distant warehouses often struggle because:

• delivery times are slower
• returns become more difficult
• and customer expectations are harder to meet.

Localized logistics infrastructure significantly improves:

• customer trust
• operational speed
• and repeat purchase behavior.

Competition Is Increasing Rapidly

The Romanian market is becoming increasingly competitive due to:

• international marketplaces
• Asian platforms
• and large cross-border sellers.

The panel specifically mentioned the growing influence of:

• Temu
• Turkish sellers
• and large international ecosystems.

Consumers are becoming:

• more price-sensitive
• more informed
• and more selective.

As a result, brands must compete not only on price, but through:

• customer experience
• logistics
• service quality
• and operational excellence.

Temu Is Changing Consumer Behavior

The panel highlighted that Temu has had a particularly strong impact on:

rural and smaller regional markets.

The platform helped accelerate:

• online shopping adoption
• digital purchasing habits
• and consumer confidence in eCommerce.

This has contributed to the broader expansion of online shopping behavior outside major urban centers.

Black Friday and Seasonal Campaigns Remain Extremely Important

Romania continues to have very strong seasonal purchasing periods, particularly:

• Black Friday
• Christmas
• Back-to-School campaigns
• and Easter promotions.

The speakers noted that:

November and December often generate a disproportionately large share of annual revenue for many merchants.

Romanian Black Friday also traditionally starts earlier than in many other markets, heavily influenced by local marketplace campaigns.

Bucharest Continues to Dominate eCommerce Activity

The discussion highlighted that:

Bucharest alone accounts for a very significant share of Romanian online commerce activity.

Other strong regional hubs include:

• Cluj
• Iași
• and Brașov.

At the same time, eCommerce adoption in smaller cities and rural areas continues to grow rapidly.

Key Takeaways

The session demonstrated that Romania remains one of the fastest-growing and most dynamic eCommerce markets in the Balkans.
Romanian consumers are highly active online shoppers with strong monthly purchasing behavior. Cross-border commerce continues to expand rapidly, but localization remains essential for success.
Cash-on-delivery still plays a critical role in conversion and customer trust, while locker delivery has become a standard expectation rather than a competitive advantage.
Marketplace ecosystems dominate the market, but brands must also invest in building direct customer relationships and long-term retention strategies.
Automation, operational scalability, localized logistics, and customer experience are becoming increasingly important as competition intensifies.

The panel also highlighted the growing influence of AI, marketplaces, international sellers, and changing consumer expectations, all of which are reshaping the future of eCommerce in Romania and across the Balkan region.

The presentation is not available for sharing.