Romanian entrepreneur sees opportunity in online platform helping others choose unique gifts

After having gathered an experience of 15 years in a multinational, Romanian entrepreneur Oana Pascu decided to turn her passion for special gifts into a business that is now growing by the year. In late-2015, with an initial investment of some EUR 5,000, she launched Complice.ro, an online platform that offers customers the chance to find unique gifts for their loved ones, from helicopter flights to romantic dinners and special outfits. The site reached a turnover of EUR 17,000 last year and helped about 100 customers find gifts for the people in their lives, with around 20% of them returning to buy more gifts. Oana Pascu hopes that the number of customers will go up to more than 200 this year. Her aim is to reach over 50 orders per month with an average value of EUR 225. “A very important segment on which we want to focus this year is represented by expats. When preparing a gift for an expat, you want to turn to something local, either a special Romanian product or a unique experience to remember for a lifetime,” Oana Pascu told Romania-insider.com. Moreover, the Romanian entrepreneur also wants to increase the share of customers who return to the website for more gifts. “This is one of the reasons why, last year, my partner Georgiana Sima and I started organizing experiential events under the Out of Office Events umbrella for our existing and potential clients. During these events, we want to give guests the opportunity to experience new and beautiful things in a unique way, faraway from the office.” Moreover, in parallel with individual clients, Complice.ro is also focusing on corporate customers this year. The visitors of Complice.ro can choose from two types of gifts. One is represented by symbolic gifts, which are simple objects that send a special message, such as a pendant that has a tiny message inside, or a small bottle filled with dandelion fluff (which sends the message that you want the receiver to see all of her/his wishes come true). The prices for these gifts vary from RON 50 to RON 100. The second category is made of experiential gifts, covering a wide range of special presents. For example, one can choose a gift that includes a match of squash followed by a relaxation massage in two (for the price of RON 550), or a Glamorous Outfit, which consists of a unique evening dress created especially for her and a stylish pair of sandals (for RON 7,500). Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com