Andrei Anușca, Auchan Romania: We anticipate yet another year of significant growth in the online domain

Business Review sat down with Andrei Anușca, the Director of Digital Transformation and Shared Services Center at Auchan Romania and a future speaker at the upcoming re:Focus on Retail, Couriers & Logistics 2024, about the latest trends and evolutions in e-commerce and traditional retail.

How did e-commerce evolve in 2023 and what are your estimates for 2024?

I want to start by thanking you for the invitation to participate in this interview. It’s always an honor to have the opportunity to share my perspectives and experiences as the Director of Digital Transformation at Auchan Retail Romania, and I’m excited about the possibility of discussing more about our future initiatives and directions.

The year 2023, viewed as a whole, was primarily a year of rediscovering balance for Romanian consumers. In the first part, especially during the cold season, the last echoes of pandemic worries faded away, while in the second part, consumer optimism returned, along with a revival of classic retail trends. Additionally, buyers demonstrated thriftiness in a year marked by high inflation, seeking the best value for money.

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At Auchan, 2023 was the best year for eCommerce, measured both by the total volume of orders and by the spectacular evolution of major campaigns (Black Friday, Auchan Anniversary, Christmas promotions). Our customers demonstrated trust in our services by placing over a million orders, which meant preparing and shipping over 20 million products. For some of them, placing orders became a well-organized weekly ritual, often complemented by a visit to the physical store. As a result, over time, physical stores have become more than just places to shop, transforming into interconnected experiences with the digital world.

For 2024, we anticipate yet another year of significant growth in the online domain, with a double-digit percentual increase. We continue to refine a diversified eCommerce service, which includes both B2C options such as home delivery, store pickup, and drive-through services, as well as partnerships for fast deliveries. Additionally, we will develop a robust eCommerce presence as an essential tool for B2B operations.

What are the main development trends in e-commerce in 2024?

In the FMCG sector, market players are paying close attention to three trends at the moment: protecting purchasing power, adopting a more environmentally responsible attitude, and embracing the impact of new technologies.

There is a mutually beneficial gain between the customer and the merchant when the former maintains or even increases their purchasing power over time, despite inflation, and returns to the seller who offers such security, providing them with predictability in business in return. In eCommerce, numerous discount campaigns, the implementation of price ceilings mandated by the government, offering one day of free shipping per week, and rewarding customers through loyalty programs are expressions of an effort to stand by buyers.

The more environmentally responsible attitude is a newer trend in eCommerce and has two components. One is immediately visible to the consumer through implementations that allow operation in the Guarantee-Return System and the sale of products labeled “Packaging with Guarantee.” Other developments are less noticeable to the general public and involve optimizations in logistics flows, picking areas, and the number and volume of packaging used.

Last but not least, we know that recent developments in generative artificial intelligence or “mixed reality” will change the way eCommerce is conducted in the long term, generating new business models. In 2024, we will continue to adopt innovative technologies to an increasing extent. In offline settings, customers will find the Scan & Go app, Self Checkout machines (with and without assistance), and perhaps even smart stores increasingly useful. In online settings, the emergence of virtual assistants, hyper-personalized communication, and customer journey optimizations will be assessed and improved to match the specific needs of each buyer.

Will e-commerce grow to the level where it will overtake traditional retail in the coming years?

The question carries within it the kernel of a competition between eCommerce and traditional retail, a competition that doesn’t exist in reality. The end consumer has a need that can be met either by visiting a brick-and-mortar store or by placing an online order. Auchan caters to both needs and strives to provide a modern shopping experience, offering an extensive range of everyday products at affordable prices, along with digital services for ordering, payment, and delivery. Ultimately, the choice lies with the customer, based on factors such as time, mood, curiosity, income, education, age, and even the weather. For the company, it’s important to offer customers a pleasant experience focused on the products they need at a good price—regardless of how they choose to engage with us. This requires a digital transformation, a continuous process that occurs not only within physical stores, online portals, or mobile apps but also at the team level and even at the individual level of each employee interested in acquiring new digital skills.

About Andrei Anusca

Andrei Anușca is the Director of Digital Transformation and Shared Services Center (CSP) since January 2024, and the Interim Director of E-commerce at Auchan Romania. He is an economist by training (ASE, with a Master’s degree in Cybernetics) and an IT professional with over 20 years of experience.

He has seven years of experience at Auchan Romania, during which he progressed from implementing projects with significant technical and organizational impact within the IT Directorate to managing teams and objectives with cross-border and multi-system impact within Auchan International Technology. Andrei Anușca plays a crucial role in coordinating and implementing the company’s digital transformation strategies, focusing on identifying the key advantages of digitalization both in customer interaction and within the company’s internal processes. Additionally, he develops the online commerce sector as the Interim Director of E-commerce, a role he assumed in 2023. In 2022, he won the first Executive MBA scholarship offered by Auchan Retail Romania.