Romanians will spend more on Christmas gifts this year, study shows

Romanian internet users intend to offer Christmas gifts, on average, to 10-11 people this year, and the budget for gifts is the highest in the last five years, according to a Compari.ro study quoted by local News.ro.

On average, the Romanians plan to spend RON 1,011 (some EUR 212) for Christmas gifts this year, up from RON 730 last year. Thus, considering the last four years, the internet users’ 2019 Christmas will probably be the "richest" so far, the survey showed.

“The role of the Internet in the buying process is undeniable. […] But a novelty is the increasingly important role of price comparison sites: although Romanian internet users prefer to find the information they need directly from the websites of major stores, in 2019 the price comparison sites (for example, Compari.ro, etc.) became the second source of information (63%), doing better than the "traditional" online search engines (such as Google, Bing, etc. - 51%),” reads the study.

Apart from searching for information, the internet is also used for purchases: 71% of Romanian internet users plan to order from an online store in the country this year. However, only 9% intend to order from an e-store from abroad.

Those who do not order the product from the internet after conducting an online search, will also make their purchases this year in malls (52%) or in traditional, specialty shops (22%). Men are more likely to order from abroad, while women, young people and pensioners prefer to shop in malls.

Most prefer to wait for sales events to buy Christmas gifts, and Black Friday is one of the most popular among internet users (34%). However, the same study revealed that only 6% of internet users start to buy Christmas gifts early (since October), while 24% tend to delay shopping until the last minute.

As for what they prefer to buy, the classic gifts are still at the top of the list. The four most popular product categories are: clothing (43%), mobile phones, tablets and accessories (38%), toys (36%) and beauty products, cosmetics (36%).

The research was carried out by GKI Digital at the request of the Compari.ro site in October 2019. The data was collected online on a sample of 2,429 people.

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