Online card payment reached EUR 127.8 million in 2010, ePayment data shows

In 2010, a 38 percent growth in online card payment was registered compared to 2009, amounting to a total of EUR 127.8 million in Romania. The number of processed transactions has increased by 82 percent compared to the previous year, reaching 2.26 million transactions, according to data supplied by Romcard, the local card processor. Last year also marked 2.08 million transactions in the ePayment system, integrated eCommerce solutions provider.

In 2010, the average value of a transaction in the ePayment system reached EUR 58, a decrease from the average of 79 EUR reached in 2009. The industries that supported the most numerous online transactions were telecommunications, tourism, utilities payment, services, retail and entertainment.

“The electronic commerce market has reached a stage of maturity, characterized through a moderate growth rhythm, online product and service diversification and the increase in buyers opting for online card payment. 2010 has been marked by the entrance of new traders, seeking the online development of their business, as well as more profitable solutions for lower prices. Buyers, on the other hand, were more receptive on what concerns sales and price reductions, so that companies with clear concepts and efficient implementation have managed to attract payers from the offline environment to online”, stated Daniel Nicolescu, CEO Gecad ePayment.

The months during which the highest transaction rates were reached in 2010 were May (210,000 transactions) and December (205,000 transactions).

Romcard general manager Marin Mitroi estimates a 30 percent increase in ecommerce transactions compared to 2010. Gecad ePayment representatives indicate a similar growth tendency to 2010, with online stores focusing more and more on introducing new products, niche or specialized, more accessible on what concerns proximity and lower prices than the offline environment.