Shoppers in countries neighboring Romania interested in foreign online stores, study shows

The majority of e-shoppers from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Greece, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Hungary frequently search for deals on foreign websites, opening the door for Romanian online stores looking to expand their businesses, according to a new DPD Romania study.

The study, which analyzed the profile of e-shoppers from eight neighboring EU countries (Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Greece, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Hungary), reveals that the most sought-after products are fashion items (69% in the Czech Republic and Slovakia), footwear (over 60% in Poland and Bulgaria), and products in the beauty/healthcare category (over 50% in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Bulgaria).

The most active e-shoppers in the studied markets, who make online purchases from foreign websites, are those from Slovenia (80%) and Hungary (77%), as stated in the cited study.

Footwear is the flagship product in four out of the eight analyzed e-commerce markets in the DPD Romania study - Poland (64%, EU average 49%), Bulgaria (61%), Slovenia (54%), and Hungary (53%) - while fashion items rank first in the preferences of e-shoppers from the other three markets: the Czech Republic and Slovakia (69%, EU average 63%), and Croatia (65%).

Romania is the only market in the region where the beauty/healthcare category tops the list (64%); in the other eight studied markets, it ranks third, with percentages ranging from 56% (Poland) to 43% (Slovenia).

The top preferences of e-shoppers in the eight studied countries include books, highly sought after in Poland (50%), Bulgaria (47%), Hungary (37%), the Czech Republic and Slovakia (35%), and Slovenia (32%); accessories and jewelry in Croatia (49%) and Poland (35%); recreational products in Croatia (49%) and Slovakia (33%); home appliances in Poland (45%) and Bulgaria (31%); fresh food and beverages in Hungary (43%) and Slovenia (32%); and medications in Poland (42%), the Czech Republic and Slovakia (37%), Bulgaria (31%), and Slovenia (29%).

"All this information and many other similar insights we have about each e-commerce market in Europe can be transformed into opportunities and advantages for online stores looking to sell their products in these markets. Detailed knowledge about local e-shoppers, future customers, is essential for successful entry into these e-commerce markets," says Nadia Talpă, CCO of DPD Romania.

E-shoppers from all eight studied markets make purchases from foreign online stores. Slovenians (80%) and Hungarians (77%) are the most active in this regard, considering that the EU average for shopping from foreign websites is 57%. The other studied markets also have percentages well above the EU average: Bulgaria (71%), Croatia (68%), Slovakia (63%), and the Czech Republic (62%). For comparison, in Romania, the percentage is 67%.