Apart from the Hungarian preference for a hands-on shopping experience, statistics indicate that online buyers prefer to collect their purchased products from stores rather than waiting for couriers at home.
In order to meet this demand, eMAG says it is making shipments twice a day to the new store. The most popular products ordered online with in-shop delivery are smartphones, smartwatches, earphones, and notebooks, eMAG says.
Chief commercial officer Catalin Dit told the Budapest Business Journal that all this does not mean that the online market is shrinking.
“On the contrary, last year, due to the pandemic, the Hungarian electro-IT market already saw substantial growth of 30%, and for this year, eMAG expects even more significant expansion, of 35%. As for eMAG, the company expects a 20% growth for 2021,” Dit explained.
The online retailer has business units in Romania, Hungary, and Bulgaria. Dit also shared details regarding shopping habits in those countries.
“Hungarians seem more calculated; they buy mostly products that make their lives easier, for example, dishwashers, and in general, their priority is ‘value for money.’ On the other hand, Romanians target the latest models of premium brands, using the products in most cases to show off. While the purchasing power is still higher in Hungary, Romania is catching up,” Dit told the BBJ.
This article was first published in the Budapest Business Journal print issue of October 8, 2021.
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