Online retail in Romania posts highest increase in Europe in 2016

Online retail in Romania posted in 2016 a 38% increase, the highest in Europe and almost double the European increase of 15%, said the Romanian Association of Online Retailers (ARMO), quoting the results of an Ecommerce Europe report. Last year, electronic retail totaled EUR 2.05 billion in Romania. At a European level, it increased by 15% to EUR 530 billion. Central and Eastern European countries reported the highest increase in online sales in 2016. Romania is among the countries with the lowest percentage of people shopping online, the study showed, but ARMO estimates that in 2017 online retail will exceed EUR 2.5 billion in the country. The local online retail also has the potential to double in value by 2020 if investments increase and authorities support the development of the digital infrastructure and of the population’s digital skills, ARMO said. For 2017 the study foresees a 14% growth of online retail at a European level, to reach a value of EUR 602 billion. For Romania, ARMO estimates a 24% growth, to over EUR 2.5 billion. Report: Romania’s online advertising market goes up 22% editor@romania-insider.com