Complice.ro: turnover up 30% in 2021. Average budget for prizes and experiential gifts: 297 euros

Complice.ro, an online store of experiential gifts, ended 2021 with a turnover of 160,000 euro – 30% increase compared to the previous year. The positive dynamics was due to the high rate of adoption of new products – flexible packages of experiences – but also to the increase in the number of customers – by 85% -, a record indicator for Complice.ro. Along with these factors, there is a growing trend in the market: to prefer rewards and experiential gifts over objects, even in the corporate environment, as a solution to the reward & recognition programs used to improve employee productivity during pandemic.

The year 2021 was marked by a greater appreciation from customers for experiences, both in the corporate and residential segment. The number of orders has almost doubled compared to last year, and their average value is 297 euros. Customers accessed Complice.ro experiences not only to mark special events, but also as new consumer behaviour.

Compared to the previous year, Complice.ro marks the best year on the residential segment, with an increase of 85% in the number of customers. They acquired in 2021 more personal development experiences and wellness, in response to a demanding period for physical and mental health, but also experiences that took them out of their comfort zone, such as driving on the circuit, air-yoga or flying with a hang glider or a small plane.

From the top of the year-round experiences, there is a preference for gifts involving adrenaline, virtual ones – piloting a plane or escape room created in your own home -, gourmet experiences – private wine tastings, wine cellars, whiskey, or craft beer workshops -, relaxation and travel – trips with the mini-camper or caravan, urban getaways in your own city, combined with private workshops of yoga, painting, storytelling or SPA.

The pandemic context led Complice customers to access experiences not only as gifts but also for themselves. They explored hobbies or passions that they did not have time for before, they sought to experiment more and to find their balance. Even if they accessed packages with a lower value, the number of orders increased, as did the number of recurring customers, said Oana Pascu, founder of Complice.ro.

Flexibox packages, preferred by corporate clients

Flexible packages, with more experiences from which the recipient chooses the preferred one, in a predefined budget – Flexibox – was also an option for corporate customers, who offered them to employees in reward & recognition programs, or business partners. In general, the average value of the FlexiBox package order was 156 euros, the packages being preferred by 28% of Complice.ro customers.

The predefined packages, which contain a certain experience chosen by the one offering a gift or prize, generated 68% of the total orders and 76% of the turnover throughout the year, and the average order was around 330 euros.

The tendency of Romanians to return to the usual lifestyle, which included vacations, experiences, and events is increasingly evident and is also reflected in our figures, at the level of the year. The growth of the online and offline experience portfolio, the introduction of flexible and affordable packages, both in terms of cost and diversity of experiences, has, of course, favored the attraction and retention of residential customers, the segment with the best results so far, added Oana Pascu.

In corporate, men spend 32% more than women

Throughout the year, the proportion of corporate customers remains at the level of the previous year. As for customers in the residential segment, most orders are made by women, aged between 30 and 50, with an active social life, who want to surprise their loved ones with impactful gifts.

Regarding the value of the average order, men spend on experiential gifts as much as women when it comes to individual gifts, offered by individuals – with an average of 149 euros/experience gift. In corporate, however, male managers allocate for experiences a budget 40% higher than female managers, respectively 1425 euros, compared to 1004 euros.

Orders placed by recurring customers represent more than a third of the total value of orders registered annually, respectively 37% of total orders and 50% of revenue. This was also the reason why Complice.ro launched a new service in the second half of 2021 – subscriptions for experiential gifts, which offers, in addition to a monthly accumulated budget, personalized alerts, and advice for choosing the perfect gifts.

We are glad that we ended 2021 with results above expectations, and even above the level of 2019. We expected a return to the residential segment, which suffered the most in 2020, due to pandemic restrictions. For this year we want to maintain the growth rate, continuing to invest in a current portfolio of experiences, with new components, said Oana Pascu.

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