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Trade: The e-commerce sector grew by 50% of the number of orders in pandemic period
The pandemics redefined the sector of e-commerce,leading to a quick growth of the number of orders by 50% and value by 64%, dynamics which shows growth in six months similar to a period of three years in a normal context, according to the data of MerchantPro, local platform SaaS of eCommerce.
The starting period of the crisis, represented by the months of restrictions and social distancing led to bigger increases but the positive dynamics was kept even after the relaxation of restrictions.Thus, at the level of summer months June-August 2020 there was a growth in value by 52% against the same period of 2019, the platform data show.
At the level of those over 1,500 shops in Romania active on the platform MerchantPro, the value of tradings increased in August by approximately 35% against the similar period of 2019.
Growth of 30% was registered in the number of orders placed for the shops which function on the platform.‘This period led to a clear change in the consumption behaviour of the Romanians, as well as in the business approach of the entrepreneurs. It is clear that digitisation represented more than a solution for the moment. Many entrepreneurs managed to open new opportunities and business directions. The efficiency of the processes and in some cases the reduction of costs – by moving to online – contributed to the stability in a very volatile period’ statd Arthur Radulescu, CEO Merchant Pro.
The period meant changes in the area of active domains on the platform. Thus, initially interest for the area of consumption product grew, more exactly in such domains as food and cleaning. Then the interest of the Romanians went to the area of shops with services and home&deco products, DIY and household products. The shops in fashion boomed in summer, due to season reductions and season changes, as well as the beginning of the school year.
‘At the beginning of this period it was thought that once the emergence state is over, it is possible to come back to the usual behaviour and get lower increases or even drops for online. On the contrary, the online area is going up. We notice that the new trend of online – both on the part of suppliers of products and services, and on the part of end-users – it is constant and it does not seem to be temporary. Practically, this change of behaviour, in a normal context, with an annual dynamics of 15-20% would have happened in 3- 4 years’ said Arthur Radulescu.
For the period September – December, the MerchantPro representatives estimate to keep this growing trend, as well as growth in the number of online shops.
Merchant Pro ended 2019 with a turnover of 500,000 euro, up by 15% against the previous year. In the first six months of this year, the growth of the business of MerchantPro was 25%.
The company is the identity of the local platform ShopMania BIZ. The platform MerchantPro is used at regional level and over 5,000 online shops used its functions in over ten year of presence on the market.
Merchant Pro is a project of the company ShopMania Net which addresses the entrepreneurs in e-commerce of Romania and Europe, by its functions of ecommerce, support services and personalised solutions, adapted to specific necessities of development.
ShopMania Net had a turnover of one million euro in 2019. The company operates the Shopmania.ro price comparer and the e-commerce platform MerchantPro which represents 50% of the business.