After a first half of the year in which market growth was driven almost entirely by higher basket values, Romanian eCommerce shifted direction in the third quarter, the first in which parcels arriving from outside the European Union were subject to both national and EU-level taxes. The MerchantPro Compass analysis, conducted by MerchantPro, a SaaS eCommerce solutions platform supporting more than 2,000 active online stores, is based on a representative sample of stores operating on the platform during both periods under comparison. The data shows that, for the first time in nearly two years, market growth is being driven by order volumes rather than basket values, as local online retailers begin to regain ground in the categories most exposed to international competition.
In the first nine months of 2026, sales value increased by 8.5% compared with the same period last year, while order volumes rose by nearly 6%. The average order value reached €59, up 2.5%. Much of this growth was driven by the third quarter, when order volumes increased by 12.6%, virtually matching the 12% rise in sales value, while the average basket remained stable at €60. By comparison, order volumes had grown by only approximately 2.5% during the first two quarters.
Where the first effects of taxes on non-EU parcels are becoming visible
The RON 25 logistics tax, introduced in January for parcels valued below €150 arriving from outside the European Union, was supplemented on July 1 by an EU customs duty of €3 for each product category contained in a parcel. Combined, the two charges can add nearly 40% to the cost of a €20 order, enough to erode the price advantage that Asian platforms have built, particularly in the low-value purchase segment.
Although the impact of these taxes cannot be fully isolated from other factors influencing consumer spending, performance across sectors suggests that some demand has begun shifting back toward local online retailers. The strongest third-quarter results were recorded precisely in the categories most exposed to international competition:
- Fashion, the sector with the highest number of orders, moved from flat performance in the first half of the year to 17% growth in order volumes and 13% growth in sales value in Q3. Average order value declined by 3%, indicating a return of lower-value purchases.
- Children's Products narrowed the decline in order volumes from 18% in the first half of the year to less than 5% in Q3, with sales value virtually unchanged from last year.
- Automotive & Motorcycle Products and Sporting Goods both recorded 16% growth in order volumes in Q3, accompanied by declining average order values.
"For the first time in nearly two years, growth is coming from order volumes rather than higher basket values. The number of orders increased at the same pace as sales, with growth concentrated in lower-value purchases, precisely the segment that non-EU platforms have dominated in recent years. The recovery is taking place in the categories where competition from these platforms has been fiercest, including fashion, toys and accessories, and coincides with the point at which parcel taxes began to affect final prices. > > I don't believe taxes alone explain this development. Inflation fell to 6.2% in August, from more than 10% in June, while the third quarter of last year was particularly weak, affected by the VAT increase and rising energy prices. However, the taxes have narrowed a price gap that was difficult for local retailers to overcome, especially on small orders." says Arthur Radulescu, CEO of MerchantPro.
Sector performance ranges from +37% to -15%
Electronics, Gadgets & Accessories remains the fastest-growing sector, with sales value up 37% and order volumes up 33% in the first nine months of the year. This momentum continued into the third quarter, with sales value rising 37% and order volumes increasing 38%, while the average basket remained stable at €90. Meanwhile, Home & Deco, one of the largest sectors by sales value, accelerated in the third quarter, recording 14% growth in sales value and 10% growth in orders, following a first half in which order volumes had stagnated.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, Beauty remains the only major sector to record a decline over the nine-month period, with both sales value and order volumes down 15%. Average order value remained unchanged at approximately €42, indicating that the decline was driven by fewer orders rather than consumers switching to lower-priced products. Over the same period, Pharma recorded 23% growth in sales value and a one-third increase in order volumes. In the third quarter, Pharma's growth rate moderated to 15%, while Beauty's decline narrowed from 19% in the first half of the year to 7%.
"Beauty and Pharma are increasingly overlapping, particularly in dermocosmetics, which online pharmacies offer at comparable prices alongside products consumers already purchase regularly. Most likely, some of the demand lost by Beauty has shifted to pharmacies. The fact that Beauty's decline narrowed in the third quarter while Pharma's growth moderated leads us to believe that this shift in demand is beginning to stabilize." explains Arthur Radulescu, CEO of MerchantPro.
Books & Music (+11% in sales value over nine months) is growing almost exclusively through higher average order values, while Jewelry (+10%) is also driven primarily by this factor. Food Products (+10% in sales value and +15% in order volumes), meanwhile, follows the opposite pattern.
At the same time, the B2B sector recorded the fastest growth in order volumes among the major categories in the sample, with one-third more orders in the first nine months and a 41% increase in the third quarter. This represents a growth rate four times higher than that of sales value, confirming the trend identified at mid-year.
Online commerce grows as physical retail declines
The performance of online commerce contrasts with that of the overall retail sector. According to Romania's National Institute of Statistics (INS), retail turnover volume declined by 5% in the first eight months of 2026, with August marking the first month of the year to record slightly positive growth. Over the same period, order volumes in MerchantPro's sample increased by nearly 6%, suggesting that a growing share of consumer spending is shifting online, even in a year marked by cautious spending.
"For merchants, the challenge now is to make sure they can be found by returning shoppers. A tax can increase the cost of an order, but it does not change where the purchasing journey begins, and today that journey increasingly starts on a marketplace or through an AI assistant. The most important commercial period of the year is approaching, with Black Friday and the holiday shopping season, while the European handling fee for non-EU parcels is also expected to come into force in the coming period. From 2028, the customs reform will completely eliminate the special regime for low-value parcels. The price gap with international platforms will narrow, but it will not disappear, meaning competitive advantage can no longer be built on price alone. Merchants who use the coming months to better understand their customers through data, personalization and frictionless shopping experiences will be able to turn a temporary recovery into long-term customer relationships." says Arthur Radulescu.
According to the MerchantPro eCommerce Insights 2026 report, which combines proprietary platform data with public sources and macroeconomic indicators, Romania's eCommerce market exceeded €8.1 billion in 2025 and is expected to surpass €8.5 billion in 2026, with an estimated growth rate of approximately 5%. Results for the first nine months are consistent with this forecast, while third-quarter performance suggests that growth could even exceed expectations if the momentum continues through the year-end shopping season.