E-commerce Impact on Romanian Businesses

This assignment explores the growing influence of e-commerce in Romania. It delves into consumer behavior, preferred online shopping platforms and payment methods. Additionally, it examines the positive impact of e-commerce on Romanian businesses through increased productivity, revenue generation, and customer base expansion.

BUSINESS PROJECT

Abstract
The project aims to determine the evolution of e-commerce within the Romanian
business environment. The issue identified has e-commerce contributed to growth and
development of the Romania business environment. For the present study, the researcher has
applied descriptive research design to address the research issue and comprehend the study
efficiently. Deductive research approach has been used by the researcher to testify the
assumptions and validating the hypothesis of the study. Qualitative research method is used for
analysing the descriptive data and hence, in the present study, qualitative research method has
been used to analyse the descriptive data collected from interviews. For this research were
interviewed 20 Romanians which are living in UK and they also know Romanian e-commerce
situations to understand the evolution of e-commerce in Romania and to analyse the difference
between UK and Romania E-commerce. Secondary source of data is interpretation of data
collected by others. The researcher has access to different relevant websites, books and journal to
interpret the data. In the present study, the researcher has used thematic analysis to analyse the
collected data and interprets it effectively which will be easily comprehensible for the end users
of business project.

Table of Contents
TITLE..............................................................................................................................................4
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................4
1.1 Introduction...........................................................................................................................4
1.2 Research Aim........................................................................................................................5
1.3 Research Issues.....................................................................................................................5
1.4 Research Objectives..............................................................................................................5
1.5 Chapters Summary................................................................................................................5
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW.........................................................................................7
Barriers in e-commerce business of Romania.............................................................................8
Regulations related to internet transactions..............................................................................11
Ways to promote positive attitude of customers towards e-commerce.....................................14
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY.................................................................................................15
CHAPTER 4: ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION..........................................................................18
CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS...................................................26
5.1 Conclusion...........................................................................................................................26
5.2 Recommendations...............................................................................................................26
5.3 Personal Reflection.............................................................................................................27
5.4 References...........................................................................................................................28
APPENDIX I.................................................................................................................................32

TITLE
The evolution of e-commerce within the Romanian business environment
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Introduction
Increase in global expansion and rigidity in globalisation and liberalisation policies
affects the marketers and organisations greatly. Now business are expanding rapidly and with the
help of evolved technologies organisations able to enhance customer base and profits efficiently
(Voineagu and Begu, 2016).E-commerce or electronic commerce is the terminology that is used
by the business that involves transfer of information across the internet. E-commerce (electronic
commerce or EC) E-commerce (electronic commerce or EC) is the buying and selling of goods
and services, or the transmitting of funds or data, over an electronic network, primarily the
internet. These business transactions occur either as business-to-business, business-to-consumer,
consumer-to-consumer or consumer-to-business. The terms e-commerce and e-business are often
used interchangeably. The term e-tail is also sometimes used about transactional processes for
online shopping. As the information technologies and systems are thriving ceaselessly, business
organisations are formulating and developing different methods that helps in improving the
business practices and leads towards growth and development of the organisation. Romania is
considered as biggest e-commerce industries in South-eastern Europe (Popescu, 2015).
According to the data acquired from GpeC (eCommerce awards Gala) there about 5000
online shops active on the Romanian market and majority of the populations prefer online
shopping in the country (Ecommerce in Romania, 2018). The online retail sale in country
surpasses 1-billion-euro mark in year 2014 in 2016 it reaches to 1.8 billion. As the agility and
accessibility in internet plans increases, smartphone penetration in the country enhance, majority
of population of the country diverts from traditional shopping to digital shopping (Nica, 2015).
The e-commerce business organisations further provide effective offers in order to attract the
customers towards online purchase of products and services. 19 million people reside in
Romania out of which 9.4 million uses e-commerce for online transactions. This is nearby 50 per
cent of the total population. The figure shown below is the estimation of number of users that
will be increase in 2021 (Turban and et.al. 2015).
4

The business project will be formulated in the systematic manner so that end users can easily and
efficiently comprehend the concepts. Research methodology shows the design, approach and
strategy of research along with data collection, sampling and analysis. The data will be collected
from 20 Romanians living in UK but with deep knowledge about past and actual Romanian e-
commerce situation by conducting interview survey. Data analysis and discussion will be
provided in the project and eventually best recommendations will be provided by the researchers
that will help Romanian organisations to increase their productivity, profitability and users.
1.2 Research Aim
Aim
“The aim of this project is to determine the evolution of e-commerce within the Romanian
business environment.”
1.3 Research Issues
Has e-commerce contributed to growth and development of the Romania business environment?
In the research project, the issue has been identified by the researcher whether, e-
commerce contributed to growth and development of the Romania business environment? In the
light of this statement, the researcher will conduct the in-depth research by analysing the
business organisations that trades online.
1.4 Research Objectives
To attain the aim of the research had been formulated following research objectives:
1. To Investigating the significance of e-commerce in the business environment
2. To Examining the impact and importance of e-commerce to the Romanian business
environment
3. To Investigating how the present e-commerce practises in Romania can be improved.
1.5 Chapters Summary
Business project must be done in systematic and structured manner. To increase the
effectiveness of the research, this research was classified in five chapters. The summary of
chapters is described below:
5

Chapter 1- Introduction: Introduction is the beginning and first chapter of present business
project. The researcher will provide brief information about the project including aims,
objectives and research issues.
Chapter 2- Literature Review: The motive of literature review is to provide theoretical
framework to the study. This is the second chapter, where researcher will identify, analyse,
interprets the review proposed by senior scholars, researchers and authors about the evolution of
e-commerce in Romania.
Chapter 3- Methodology: Research methodology demonstrates the structure and methods
applied in the business project. This is third chapter where researcher will discuss the precise
methodologies which will be used to conduct the business project smoothly.
Chapter 4- Analysis and Discussion: In research project or dissertation, analysis and discussion
chapter are considered as very important one. In this chapter, the researcher will transmit the
gather information to the end users. This will help them to understand the flow of project.
Chapter 5- Conclusion and Recommendations: This is fifth and last chapter of business project
where researcher will sum up the study. In this last part will be discussed things which were
covered in the business project.
6

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
The significance of e-commerce in the business environment
In argument of Brinkmann, (2014), E-commerce stands for electronic commerce and
through the electronic media it pertains to trade in goods and services. As per Ilie, Bălăceanu and
Apostol, (2015), an important role is being played by the e-commerce in the online business. In
the online market to reach out to the new customers it is one of the best and cheaper
intermediate. A smart way of conducting business is being offered if e-commerce is effectively
implemented. By making use of e-commerce in the business the sale revenue will increase.
The business is being revolutionized by E-commerce with a wide range of online
activities of business for product and services are being introduced by E-commerce. Over the
electronic system such as internet and other computer network e-commerce refers to the buying
and selling of the product and services as stated by Popescu and Benea, (2017). This system
depends on the technologies such as electronic funds transfer, supply chain management. With
the use of e-commerce, the business today has become more efficient. Less money is being
spend by the people in the business and they reach huge profit with e-commerce. The use of e-
commerce has given more flexibility to operation of the business as today business can operate
24 hours a day. Based on the fact where time is essence e-commerce proved its importance. The
time plays an essential role to both the business and consumers in the commercial markets. The
online retail sale in Romania surpasses 1-billion-euro mark in year 2014 in 2016 it reaches to 1.8
billion. As the agility and accessibility in internet plans increases, smartphone penetration in the
country enhance, majority of population of the country diverts from traditional shopping to
digital shopping.
From the perspective of the business during each transaction less amount of time is spent
and on the same day more transaction can be achieved. For the consumer during their transaction
it will save up more time. Due to these e-commerce steps in and it has replaced the traditional
methods in which the single transaction can be cost both parties a lot of valuable time. According
to Andam, (2014), with the use of internet with ease a transaction or order can be placed with
just few clicks in a minute. For example, in comparison with the traditional method a banking
traction can be done through the internet within a few minutes.
7

In comparison to traditional methods more time will be consumer to complete the
transaction where this is not case with e-commerce it will hardly take about few minutes to
complete the transaction. It is thus proved that for both the business and consumer e-commerce is
beneficial as with greater efficiency the payment and documentation will be completed. In
comparison, with the tradition methods e-commerce is more cost effective from the viewpoint of
business according with Voineagu and Begu, (2016). The process for the middle person to sell
their product will be saved through e-commerce and it will be diverted to other aspects of the
business. Only a head office is needed to run an e-commerce business so with the use of e-
commerce in the business much of the cost can be reduced.
Barriers in e-commerce business of Romania
Nica (2015) stated that though Romania is providing good market facilities to its
entrepreneurs, the customers are still in their beginning stage. There are various features that
keep customers away from using e-commerce services and products. The foremost barrier is a
lack of trust in internet resources to disclose their banking details. There are limited courier
services, and further restriction in using credit and debit cards restrict companies within their
geographical location. The e-commerce stores such as e-Mag are not promoting its business to
new customer segments. As a result, they are unaware of crucial information and its
implementation in the industry. There is limited number of certificate authority in the
infrastructure of e-commerce business.
Seer, et al. (2012), informed that though the use of internet technology is growing fast,
there is a large proportion of population, who find computer equipment expensive to purchase.
So, they could not reach the service provided by the e-commerce industry. This factor limits the
potential of e-commerce industry to attract new customers. The economic condition of the
country is still underdeveloped and faces difficulty in keeping its telecommunication companies
up to date in the service. The lack of technological barrier in the development of e-commerce
industry in Romania. At present, the government of Romania is working to modify its regulatory
reforms to expand its e-commerce business.
8

According to (Şeitan, Gherman and Bulgărea, 2010) lack of education and knowledge
about the benefits of e-commerce transactions affects the purchase behaviour of consumers. This
barriers still affects minority of population which does not prefer online mode of shopping.
E-commerce theories
As stated by (Brinkmann, 2014), in order to understand how the complex, physical,
biological, economic and social system operate the system theory is being proposed by Ludwig
von in 1945.. A system may be, typically defined as a set of different independent and regularly
interacting or interrelating units or subsystems that work collectively to carry out a set of pre-
determined objectives. To understand the business situations, the system approach can be useful
as it uses various concepts such as output, boundaries etc
Adoption theory is also can be sued in E-commerce. To use an innovation here adoption deal
with decision that is made by the individuals or organization. The complexity, compatibility,
compatibility etc may influence the adoption of innovation.
The impact and importance of e-commerce to the Romanian business environment
E-commerce market is impacts on the business trends and customer behaviour. Now customers
worldwide prefer online mode of shopping instead of traditional mode. As per Khan, Syed and
Hashmi, (2016), Romania is a South-eastern European country and in the Balkans it is the
largest. Germany, Italy and France are its main exporters. However, Germany, Italy and Hungary
are its main importers. In the South-eastern Europe Romania is one of the bigger e-commerce
industries. In the year 2015 the e-commerce market of Romania was estimated to be around 1.4
billion euros. In the year 2014 its e-commerce market was expected to be around 1.1 billion. In
Romania there are about 5,000 online stores.
E-commerce business industry in Romania is estimated to be around € 1.4 billion in the
year 2015. It was € 600 million in the year 2013, and € 1.1 billion in the year 2014. Therefore,
the business sales of the e-commerce industry are at its rising phase. Donici & Diacon (2011)
reported that the e-commerce sales of retail products were significantly low, and was between
2.3 and 2.6 %. In 2015, there were approximately 5000 online shops in Romania; it increased by
11 % as compared to that of in 2013. The biggest online stores in Romania are e-Mag, Okazil,
Flanco, Domo, Altex, and others. E-Mag entered the e-commerce market of Romania in the year
9

2015 (Nica, 2015). So, it could be conducted that e-commerce business in Romania has enough
potential to enhance its future business. By looking at the growing business sales of the industry,
it could be considered that the Romanian entrepreneurs get a fertile marketplace to explore their
business sales.
Pelău & Bena (2010) suggested that faster access to internet connection would further
increase e-commerce business in Romania. The most demanded products through online stores
are information technology communication products, home decorations, clothing, and shoes. The
maximum number of the online customers tends to pay their payment through cash on delivery
option. Through the customer’s knowledge about the concept of going cashless payment, they
are reluctant to use through the medium. It reveals that customers do not trust online banking
payment. Hence, it restricts the prospects of online industry in Romania.
Nica (2015) informed that the most selling online e-commerce products in the market place are
household items and travel items followed by sporting and fashion goods. Others are music and
books, magazines, and movies CDs.
From the year 2015 there have been increase in the number of users of internet in Romania. In
the year 2015 there were about 11 mil internet users. However, in the year 2016 the number of
internet users was 11.2 million.
Also, the number of online order that is being placed form mobile phones is also
increased to a great performance in the 2016. There was about 25-30% of users who were
making of mobile phones to place an order in the year 2015. However, as stated by Wang, Wang
and Liu, (2016), in the year 2016 this number has increase as there are about 35-40% of users are
making use of internet for placing the orders.
From the year 2013 there have been increase in the number of mobile internet connection
in Romania. There were about 8.2 million poles that were using internet connections, but this is
being increasing each year. In the year there were about 9.9 million internet connection users. As
far as e-commerce demographics are concerned thinks haven't changed too much as per
Voineagu and Begu, (2016).
About 25 and 35 years old is the average age of the Romanian online shoppers and in the
cities most of these people resides. When Romanians paid for services they prefer online card
payments. In the year 2015 and 2016 the online card payment that was used in Romanian was
10

about 6-7%. Cash on delivery is the preferred payment method used by them. The online
banking, micropayments by SMS etc. is some other payment methods. According to Turban and
Turban (2018), the internal online merchants there were about 64% of Visa card online payment
in the year 2016.
The plane tickets were mainly included in the purchase. From 40 Euros in 2015 to 50
Euros in 2016 the average order value on visa cards was increased. So, it is being found that
there have being increase in the number of internet users, online shipping and use of online
payment in the Romanian each year and the online shopping sites are also increasing where the
customers can shop the products. The present situation in the Romanian is that have been
increase in the online shopping sites and also the people are also making use of debit card in
order to make their payments as per Brinkmann, (2014).
From the above illustration, it can be understood that the number of e-commerce users in
Romania in 2018 is around 10.2 million and the figure will keep on increasing due to easy
availability and accessibility of technologies. In accordance with this context, the following
business project shed light on evolution of e-commerce market in Romania.
Regulations related to internet transactions
The regulatory legislations of Romania are in accordance with the European framework
of e-commerce policies. The country had enforced it within its national laws to regulate its
information technology and communication in the digital economy. The first law is related to
Laws associated with electronic commerce. This law monitors the e-commerce dealings and
business transactions in the marketplace ((Şeitan, Gherman and Bulgărea, 2010)). The second
law is regard with authority rights; the law considers the rights of the online customers. The third
11

is associated with the electronic signature. This law enables the online customers to make their
business dealing online through e-commerce mode by uploading their digital signature in the e-
contracts. The approval of any business dealing could be commenced easily with the assistance
of e-signature.
There is another law related to electronic payments. This law states that the online
banking transactions in the e-commerce industry should be kept secret so that bank account
details are not mishandled. The next law considered in the e-commerce industry is online
advertising. This law states that the information provided through online advertising or during
the promotion of the products should be appropriate. The online customers should not be misled
by fraud information. Details of the products and services of the e-commerce industry should be
actively given to the customers. The adjacent law is about private life (Nica, 2015). The business
details of the products, as well as information about personal data of the customers, should not be
disclosed. Thus, with the implementation of these laws, Romanian government tries to enhance
its prospects of e-commerce industry. However, these laws should be strengthened enough to
enable the customers to make safe and security transactions with e-commerce.
The present e-commerce practises in Romania can be improved
E-commerce activities are taking place in the countries who have higher internet connectivity,
global supply chains and effective mode of transportation plus education. As per Fang and Lim,
(2014), the numbers of present users in Romania who are making use of desktop device to make
purchase are more in comparison with the byers who are making use of mobile devises for
placing order. Since 2015 there has being a considerable growth in the mobile commerce. New
trends of the use of e-commerce need to be adopted by the online buyers also. Several
advantages are being looked by the consumers while shopping. The advantages such as free
delivery, discounts and promotional campaigns needs to be provided to the consumers by the
online shops as stated by Cristache, Ciobotar and Kailani, (2015).
Those demands need to be completed by the online shops and delivery companies. The
market of e-commerce needs to become more proactive and less reactive market. To keep up
with the changing demand of the customer and behaviours the online site of businesses should
try to innovate. The video content, automation, personalization is other important things that
12

need to be improved in the e-commerce side of Romania. According to Chiu and Huang, (2014),
it is also an opportunity for the e-tailers to create and deliver the quality video content as this will
improve the communication and promotion that is being done by the online shop. And, they will
also be able to gain the trust of the customers and their sales will also increase.
To measure the results, the companies should also adopt marketing automation and the
patterns also will be established regarding the buying behaviour of the consumers. The help to
the companies will be provided through the market automation as the companies will be able to
get in touch with the customers at the right time and in the right context as per Andam, (2014).
Another aspect that can be adopted by Romania can be personalization. With this as per the
profile and interests of the customers the content of the online sites can be presented. This will
help the companies to gain more number of customers.
Perception of customers in Romania
Customers have varied perceptions regarding e-commerce or online mode of shopping.
Some believe it is an effective source while some believe that this is non reliable source. Şeitan,
et al. (2010), describes the Romanian customers as enthusiastic about the internet, as well as
technically literate and well-educated. The trends of internet differ within geographical locations
of customers. Such as internet use is common in cities and young customers, which is far behind
in rural areas. The big cities such as Constanta, Timisoara, Sibiu, Bucharest and other uses
internet resources extensively, which is absent in rural counterpart areas. Within the population
of the country, there is only 29 % of the population to use e-commerce. The business sales of e-
commerce industry also lowered between the year 2008 and 2011. But, recently, the customers
are showing their positive approach, overcoming the slowdown in the marketplace. (Donici and
Diacon, 2011)
Bena (2011) explained that the Romanian customers are reserved and cautious about their online
shopping products and services. They are concerned about risk factors related to financial
transactions through online banking. There are only 65 % of the customers who love to or like to
shop online. The positive attitude of the customers towards e-commerce industry is lacking. The
average online shoppers in Romania are between the age group of 26 and 36-year-old. On the
contrary, the turnover of e-commerce customers is expected to grow by 10.5 % annually.
Therefore, it is expected to gain € 174 billion from this sale.
13

The individuals using mobile banking was 51 % in 2012, which increased to 65 % in
2013 (Şeitan, Gherman and Bulgărea, 2010). However, it is seen that Romanian customers lack
trust within the e-commerce industry, as they avoid using credit or debit cards during payment.
They use their credit or debit cards at the time of payment in physical stores of travel and
holidays, show booking, and others. Hence, this perception of the customers is restricting the
opportunities of the e-commerce industry to expand its branches in the marketplace.
Ways to promote positive attitude of customers towards e-commerce
In order to increase attraction towards e-commerce market, organizations needs to gain
customers trust by providing them effective and appropriate quality of goods and services. Bertea
(2010) marked that the foremost barrier in the Romanian e-commerce industry is that huge
amount of population is not getting the opportunity to access the facilities of information
technology. So, the author suggests supporting the population with financial assistance so that
they could purchase computers and use them for online purchase. The lack of effective internet
resources would also allow the customers to visit the online sites and make their purchase
making decisions. The positive attitude of the customers in the United Kingdom should be
attributed to examine negative attributes of customers in Romania.
Seer, et al. (2012) recommended that the safety and security regulations in the e-
commerce industry should be strengthened so that customers can rely on its business. The online
banking mode of the customers should also be secured. The safety regulations of the online
banking transactions should be promoted so that use of credit cards and debit cards are
encouraged in online transactions. Moreover, a number of discounts should be increased while
selling products and services in the e-commerce industry. The details of the products and
services should be appropriate so that misleading of customers is avoided. These features would
enable the customers to make their positive attitude for e-commerce industry. The government
regulations in the e-commerce industry should also be flexible enough to meet the needs and
demands of the customers.
14

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY
Introduction
Research methodology demonstrates the structure and methods applied in the business
project. This is third chapter where researcher will discuss the precise methodologies which will
be used to conduct the business project smoothly (Gast and Ledford, 2014). In this chapter, will
be discussed the research design, approach and strategies that has been used in the present study.
After that, the method of collection of data will be discussed. The way of sampling and analysing
of data will be explained in the following chapter. Eventually, the ethical consideration and
limitation of research will be discussed also.
Research Design
The research design shows the guidelines through which the researcher will able to
answer the research questions effectively and efficiently (Brinkmann, 2014). From research
perspective, it is important for the researcher to implement precise research design so that the
aim and objective of the research can be attaining efficiently. In this context, for the present
study, has been applied descriptive research design to address the research issue and comprehend
the study efficiently.
Research Approach
Research approach helps the researcher to test the assumptions and validates the
hypothesis of the research study (Smith, 2015). It is important for the researcher to selects
precise research approach to accomplish the aim and objectives of the study. In the present study,
the researcher will use deductive research approach to testify the assumptions and validating the
hypothesis of the study.
Research Strategy
Research strategy is the plan which through which the researcher will able to accomplish
the aim and objectives of the research (Vaioleti, 2016). Qualitative research method is used for
analysing the descriptive data and quantitative research is used to analyse data collected from
questionnaire and hence, in the present study, mixed research method will be used in order to
analyse the descriptive data collected from interviews.
15

Primary Research
Data collection is the process through which research gathers useful and relevant
information using various methods and approaches (Silverman, 2016). It can be collected from
two sources which are primary and secondary source. Primary source is the data collected by
using methods like questionnaire, interviews, focus groups, surveys, etc. In the present study, the
researcher has selected interview to collect data. Researcher will interview 20 Romanians which
know past and present e-commerce situation in Romania and can easily analyse and compare UK
and Romanian present situation to understand the evolution of e-commerce in Romania.
Furthermore, questionnaire method will be used by the researcher to gather review of Romanians
living in United Kingdom about Romanian e-commerce market. The questionnaire will contain
question regarding demographic information and mainly have close ended questions. Researcher
will conduct a survey where will provide questionnaire to Romanians and gather their responses
by hand.
Secondary Research
Secondary source of data is interpretation of data collected by others. The researcher will access
to different relevant websites, books and journal to interpret the data (Flick, 2015).
Data Analysis
The process of converting raw data into meaningful information is data analysis. It is
important part of research. There are various methods used by researchers to analyse the data
effectively (Cicourel, 2016). In the present study, the researcher will use thematic analysis to
analyse the collected data and interprets it effectively which will be easily comprehensible for
the end users of business project.
Ethical Consideration
Ethical consideration is important and shows the authenticity of the research project. To
increase the effectiveness of the research project, it is important for the researcher to follow all
the ethical norms of project (Taylor, Bogdan and DeVault, 2015). In the present study, the
researcher has taken care of confidentiality of the interviewed people. Their name has not been
disclosed in the research. Furthermore, researcher has explained them the motive of the study in
order gain their consent.
16

Research Limitation
Researcher faced several obstructions and barriers while conducting the business project.
These barriers result as the limitation of the research. The limitation of the research is discussed
below: Selecting aim and objectives: The first barrier in the project faced by the researcher was
selection of the aim and objectives of the research. The scope and area were wide and
researcher got confused about the aims and objectives. Difficulty to find Romanians for questionnaire: As the research has been conducted in
United Kingdom, it was become difficult for the researcher to find Romanians for
research analysis. It took enormous amount of time and cost of investigator.
 Data Collection and analysis: Another obstruction faced by the researcher was in data
collection and analysis process. There were various methods available for collection of
data and researcher got stressed out to select the best and efficient one.
17

CHAPTER 4: ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
Introduction
Analysis and discussion are important pillars of business project. To understand the
evolution of e-commerce within Romanian business, it is important for the researcher to provide
precise data analysis and discussion. In this context, in the following chapter the researcher will
analyse primary and secondary data and eventually provide discussion of analysis. In this way,
the researcher will be able to attain the aim and objectives of the research.
Primary analysis
For primary analysis, the researcher conducted interview in 20 Romanians with deep
knowledge of e-commerce in Romania as well as some of them being involved in the
management of some companies in Romania. The themes and interpretation are described below:
Analysis of questionnaire
Demographic analysis
Theme 1: Gender
1. What is your gender? Frequency
Male 12
Female 8
Interpretation: From the above table it can be understood that out of 20 respondents, 12 were
male Romanians and 8 were female Romanians.
Theme 2: Age Group
2. Which age group do you belong to? Frequency
20-30 8
31-40 4
41-50 6
50 and above 2
Interpretation:From the above chart, it can be understood that out of 20 participants, 8 were lies
in age between 20 to 30 years, 4 were lies in age between 31 to 40 years, 6 were lies in age
between 41 to 50 years and 2 were of age 50 and above.
18

Theme 3: Marital Status
2. Which age group do you belong to? Frequency
Single 7
Married 8
Widowed 3
Separated 2
Interpretation: From the above table it can be understood that 7 participants were single, 8 were
married, 3 were widowed and 2 were separated.
Theme 4: Employment Status
4. What is your employment status? Frequency
Self employed 6
Employed for wages 9
Retired 1
Student 4
Interpretation: From the analysis of questionnaire it was identified that out of 20 respondents 6
are self employed, 9 are working in organisations, 1 is retired and 4 are students.
Theme 5: Annual Income
4. What is your employment status? Frequency
£5000 – £15000 4
£15000 – £25000 8
£25000 – £35000 3
£35000 and above 5
Interpretation: From the analysis of the questionnaire it was identified that annual income of 4
Romanians lies between £5000 – £15000, annual income of 8 Romanians lies between £15000 –
£25000, annual income of 3 Romanians lies between £25000 – £35000 and annual income of 5
Romanians lies between £35000 and above.
19

Main Context
Theme 6: Prefer e-commerce platform to purchase the products and service.
6. Do you prefer e-commerce platform to purchase the products and
services?
Frequency
Strongly Agree 5
Agree 8
Disagree 3
Strongly Disagree 4
Interpretation: In the analysis of questionnaire it was identified that 5 respondents strongly
prefer e-commerce platform in order to shop online. 8 respondents prefer to use online mode of
shopping on frequent basis. 3 respondents did not prefer e-commerce platform and 4 customers
not at all prefer to use e-commerce platform. From the analysis it is clear that Romanians prefer
to use e-commerce platform for online shopping.
Theme 7: What payment mode you prefer for making online purchase?
What payment mode you prefer for making online purchase? Frequency
Credit Card 7
PrePaid Card 9
Net Banking 2
eWallets 2
Interpretation: From the analysis of questionnaire, it was identified that 7 respondents prefer to
use credit card for making online transactions. 9 respondents uses prepaid cards in order to make
payments for online purchase, 2 respondents prefer to use net banking for online transactions and
2 customers prefer to use eWallets for making payments. Thus, from the analysis it can be
understood that majority of Romanians prefer prepaid cards for making payments.
Theme 8:Are you satisfied by using e-commerce websites while doing online shopping?
8. Are you satisfied by using e-commerce websites while doing online Frequency
20

shopping?
Extremely Satisfied 4
Satisfied 8
Dissatisfied 2
Extremely Dissatisfied 6
Interpretation: From the analysis of questionnaire it was identified that 4 respondents were
extremely satisfied with the e-commerce websites while doing online shopping. 8 respondents
were satisfied by using e-commerce websites, 2 respondents were dissatisfied from the e-
commerce websites and 6 customers were extremely dissatisfied from the e-commerce websites.
Thus, it implies that Romanians were satisfied from the e-commerce websites.
Theme 9: E-commerce is significant for business environment?
9. E-commerce is significant for business environment? Frequency
Strongly Agree 4
Agree 10
Disagree 5
Strongly Disagree 1
Interpretation: After analysing the questionnaire, it was identified that 4 respondents strongly
agreed that E-commerce is significant for business environment, 10 respondents agreed that E-
commerce is significant for business environment, 5 respondents disagreed that E-commerce is
significant for business environment and 1 respondent strongly disagreed that E-commerce is
significant for business environment. Thus, it implies that E-commerce is significant for business
environment as majority of Romanians agreed with it.
Theme 10: Could you please detail how the business thrives after e-commerce business
practices implemented in Romania?
10. Could you please detail how the business thrives after e-commerce
business practices implemented in Romania?
Frequency
21

By increasing productivity 2
By increasing revenue 5
Through maximising customer base 9
Don't Know 4
Interpretation: From the questionnaire analysis, it was identified that 2 respondents believed that
by increasing productivity business thrives after e-commerce business practices implemented in
Romania. 5 respondents said that e-commerce practices helps in increasing the revenue of
businesses. 9 respondents said that by maximising customer base the e-commerce practices helps
in thriving in the market economy. 4 respondents didn't know the reason. Thus, it implies that by
increasing customer base business thrives after e-commerce business practices implemented in
Romania.
Theme 11: Did e-commerce have a positive impact over Romanian Business Environment?
11. Did e-commerce have a positive impact over Romanian Business
Environment?
Frequency
Strongly Agree 4
Agree 8
Disagree 3
Strongly Disagree 5
Interpretation:From the analysis of questionnaire, it was identified that 4 respondents strongly
agreed that e-commerce have a positive impact on Romanian business. 8 respondents agreed that
e-commerce have a positive impact on Romanian business, 3 respondents disagreed that e-
commerce have a positive impact on Romanian business and 5 respondents strongly disagreed
that e-commerce have a positive impact on Romanian business. Thus, from the analysis it can be
understood that e-commerce have a positive impact on Romanian business as majority of
Romanians agreed with it.
Theme 12: Which are the ways through which present e-commerce practices can be
improved?
22

12. Which are the ways through which present e-commerce practices can be
improved?
Frequency
Creating user oriented experience 8
Designing user friendly services 4
Addressing customer feedbacks 2
Utilising social media 6
Interpretation: After analysing the questionnaire, it was identified that 8 respondent said that by
creating user oriented experience present e-commerce practices can be improved. 4 respondents
said that 4 respondents said that by designing user friendly services present e-commerce
practices can be improved, 2 respondents said that by addressing customer feedbacks efficiently
present e-commerce practices can be improved and 6 respondents said that organisations must
use social media in order to enhance e-commerce practices.
Theme 1: E-commerce is significant for business environment.
Interpretation: In the interview, the question has been asked by the researcher to the managers of
organisation to acquire information about the significance of e-commerce for business
environment. In this context, 3 managers enunciate that e-commerce is very significant for the
growth and development of business economies. Majority of transactions related with shopping,
online ticket bookings, banking, etc. are done online by the customers in Romania which impacts
on the business environment and process. 1 manager said that e-commerce is not at all significant
for business environment as it is complicated to understand, and enormous management require
making it effective for use. 1 manager said that e-commerce is significant only in certain
situations where people books tickets online or do online banking. Thus, it implies that e-
commerce is significant for the business environment.
Theme 2: Business thrives after e-commerce business practices implemented in Romania
Interpretation: In the interview survey conducted within Romania, the question has been asked
by the researcher to get the information about the growth and development of business
organisation after implementation of e-commerce practices. After analysis of sample, it was
identified that 2 managers spoke that the productivity and profitability of the organisation has
been increased after implementing the e-commerce activities. 2 managers contend that business
23

has not thrived as much as it was expected due to lack of awareness of the e-commerce practices
among users. 1 manager said that business thrives in the market economy of Romania where half
of total population prefer online mode of transactions. From the analysis, it implies that business
thrived after implementation of e-commerce activities within the country.
Theme 3: Positive impact of e-commerce to Romanian Business Environment
Interpretation: In the interview survey, the question has been asked by the researcher to the
managers of different organisations to know about the impact of e-commerce on business
environment in Romania. After analysing the sample of 5 managers, it was identified that 2
managers said that there is positive impact on Romanian Business environment after
implementing e-commerce practices. 1 manager said that not much impact can be observed as
customers tends to use traditional method of transactions. 2 managers said that there is positive
impact on their business and business environment of Romania. The graph is kept on increasing
and the number of users enlarging in the country. Thus, from the analysis, it can be understood
that e-commerce laid positive impact on the national economy and business environment of
Romania.
Theme 4: Pre-paid card and bank transfer is the most preferred online payment methods used
by consumer to make purchases online
Interpretation: In the interview, the question has been asked by the researcher to know about
which method is used by customers while making online transactions. The managers keep
records in their database, thus they can respond to the question more appropriately. In this
context, 1 manager said that e-wallet has been used mostly in online transactions by the
customers. It is more secured and easy to use. 2 managers said the pre-paid cards, bank transfers
and credit cards has been widely used by the customers to make online transactions. 2 managers
said that bank transfers and pre-paid cards has been used by the customers while making online
payments. Thus, from the analysis, it can be understood that pre-paid card and bank transfer is
the most preferred online payment methods used by consumer to make purchases online.
Theme 5: Enhancing website navigation and improving customer services are the best ways to
improve present e-commerce practices in Romania.
Interpretation: In the interview survey, the question has been asked by the researcher to know
about the ways through which present e-commerce practices can be improved. In this response,
one of the manager said that by enhancing the website navigation in effective and efficient
24

manner, present e-commerce practices can be improved in Romania. Another manager said that
organisation needs to take advantages of social media to enhance current practices of using e-
commerce. 3 managers contend that by enhancing website navigation, improving customer
services and minimising the hassle in the checkout process, the current practices in Romania
regarding e-commerce can be improved.
Secondary Analysis
Romania is considered as biggest e-commerce industries in South-eastern Europe.
According to the data acquired from GpeC (eCommerce awards Gala) there about 5000 online
shops active on the Romanian market and majority of the populations prefer online shopping in
the country (Radu, 2015). The online retail sale in country surpasses 1-billion-euro mark in year
2014 in 2016 it reaches to 1.8 billion. As the agility and accessibility in internet plans increases,
smartphone penetration in the country enhance, majority of population of the country diverts
from traditional shopping to digital shopping. The e-commerce business organisations further
provide effective offers in order to attract the customers towards online purchase of products and
services (Popescu, Popescu and Popescu, 2015). 19 million people resides in Romania out of
which 9.4 million uses e-commerce for online transactions (Ecommerce in Romania: €1.8 billion
in 2016. 2017). The GDP of the country is US $178 billion and is 93rd richest country in the
world.
The above chart shows the users by age groups and gender who uses e-commerce the most. It
can be understood that males and females lie between age 16-41 years mostly uses online
methods of transactions (Stuckenschmidt and Jannach, 2015).
The above graph represents the mostly consumed products purchased online by the users of
Romania. In 2018, electronics and media products are mostly consumed by the consumers and
purchased online through different e-commerce channels (Nica, 2015). It currently holds 650
million USD market share in Romania and will further increase to 944 million by 2021.
The above chart shows the preferable payment option used by consumers in online transactions.
From the chart, it can be understood that pre-paid cards and bank transfers are mostly used by
users in online shopping. 43% of users prefer these methods.
25

As the awareness among the consumers got promulgates, the annual spend on advertising by
organisations in Romania got declined. Due to evolution of different source of digital marketing,
the organisation prefers to advertise on these sources effectively and efficiently. In 2015,
television advertising accounts for 177 million USD.
Conclusion
From the above analysis, it can be understood that approximately 50 per cent of total
population uses e-commerce in their day to day life. It impacts on the business positively and aid
in providing ample of advantages. In this context, the primary and secondary data analysis has
been done in this chapter. From primary analysis, it can be concluded that organisations are
thriving after implementation of e-commerce practices in business operations. It positively
impacts on the business and organisations lead to growth and development.
26

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Conclusion
Thus, summing up the above report it can be concluded in comparison with traditional
method the less amount is being taken to make a purchase through e-comer. A major change has
been their due to use of e-commerce in the business. The time and cost that is taken to make a
purchase have being reduce due to e-commerce. During the last year there had been continuous
growth in Romanians e-commerce market. Each year in Romania the number of users of internet
are increasing and the online shops are also increasing. The Romania people prefer that in a less
amount of time the product need to be delivers. So, thing need to be adopted by the online
shoppers in Romanian e-commerce marker and the market automation need to be adopted by the
companies to offer consumer the right product at a right time. One of the most popular online
market in Romania is GPeC and there have being increase in the number of buyers in the recent
years. There is an opportunity for the Romanian e-commerce market to improve communication
with customer by creating and delivering the video content such as virtual reality, v-logging etc.
5.2 Recommendations
Recommendations are provided by the researcher that will help the organisations and
managers to make necessary improvements. Romania has shown interesting results in the e-
commerce but there are certain areas where the organisations needs improvements to enhance the
current practices in e-commerce trends. In this context, the recommendations are provided
below:
1. Enhancing Website Navigation: Shoppers who know exactly what they want will go
directly to the product search bar. Thus, by enhancing the website navigation and making
it more user friendly, the organisation will able to increase the users (Popescu, 2015).
Thus, it is recommended to the management to focus on enhancing the website
navigation to improve customer experience.
2. Focusing on Social media: By advertising on social media websites, the organisation in
Romania will be able to enlarge the number of users (Nica, 2015). Majority of population
in Romania has account on one or many social media websites such as Facebook,
Twitter. Thus, it is recommended to the managers to advertise their organisation on social
media websites to increase customer base and e-commerce practices.
27

3. Customised experience: In order to improve the customer experience, the management
needs to value their customer (Turban and et.al., 2015). They need to create a hyperlink
that shows customer support. This will help in improving the customer experience and
they will feel more valued and motivated. Thus, it is being advised to the organisations of
Romania to consider this issue and make efforts to implement it.
4. Innovating new mode of secured payments: There are different modes or channels
where customer can make online transactions (Popescu, Popescu and Popescu, 2015).
Though, each of them has one or many limitations that impacts on transactions. Thus, it is
recommended to the management of the organisation to develop and innovate new and
better methods through which the consumers can make secure payments hassle free.
5.3 Personal Reflection
The aim of the research was to determine the evolution of e-commerce within the
Romanian business environment. In this context, I have conducted the in-depth analysis and
tried to make this project effective and efficient. In order to attain the aim, I have set some
objectives which were Investigating the significance of e-commerce in the business environment,
Examining the impact and importance of e-commerce to the Romanian business environment
and Investigating how the present e-commerce practises in Romania can be improved. To
understand the subject matter, I have selected articles of various researchers and scholars whom I
have cited appropriately.
From analysis of literature, I identified that e-commerce has been widely used in the
country. The evolution enhances after the penetration of smartphones and easy availability and
accessibility of internet. In this context, I have demonstrated the research methods which I have
applied in the research. I faced certain limitation in data collection process. I have conducted
interview survey in 10 different organisations who have e-commerce facility available. I have
taken prior permission for the same and explained them the motive of the study. Managers
appropriately coordinated and interacted with and answers all the questions precisely. On the
basis of their responses I have taken the sample of 5 managers and analysed the data in 5
different themes. Though, it was the complicated and complex process, I have tried my best to
explain these data as simple as possible so that other users of the project will able to understand
about the subject matter. Eventually, I have provided some recommendations that can help the
managers and organisation to enhance their e-commerce experience and practices.
28

5.4 References
Andam, Z.R., 2014. e-Commerce and e-Business.
Brinkmann, S., 2014. Interview. In Encyclopedia of critical psychology (pp. 1008-1010).
Springer New York.
Bena, I. (2011) 'Ecommerce in Romania', Amfiteatru Economic, vol. 12, no. 28, pp. 373-387.
Bertea, P. (2010) 'Perceived risk and consumer protection strategies', Ecommerce, vol. 8, no. 14,
pp. 43-54
Chiu, C.M. and Huang, H.Y., 2014. Understanding customers' repeat purchase intentions in B2C
e‐commerce: the roles of utilitarian value, hedonic value and perceived risk. Information
Systems Journal, 24(1), pp.85-114.
Cicourel, A., 2016. Method and measurement in sociology.
Cristache, S.E., Ciobotar, G.N. and Kailani, C., 2015. New Trends in Commercial Technologies
in Romania: Evolution of Electronic Commerce as Multichannel Retailing Instrument.
Procedia Economics and Finance, 27, pp.351-360.
Fang, Y. and Lim, K.H., 2014. Trust, Satisfaction, and Online Repurchase Intention: The
Moderating Role of Perceived Effectiveness of E-Commerce Institutional Mechanisms.
Mis Quarterly, 38(2).
Flick, U., 2015. Introducing research methodology: A beginner's guide to doing a research
project. Sage.
Gast, D.L. and Ledford, J.R. eds., 2014. Single case research methodology: Applications in
special education and behavioral sciences. Routledge.
Ilie, E., Bălăceanu, C. and Apostol, D., 2015. Ethics and Effectiveness in Promoting
Entrepreneurial Programs in Romania and The EU. Procedia-Social and Behavioral
Sciences, 186, pp.440-444.
Khan, T., Syed, A.H. and Hashmi, A., 2016. An E-Commerce based Web Portal to Support
Customize Clothes for Obese People. VFAST Trans. Softw. Eng, 10(2).
Mackey, A. and Gass, S.M., 2015. Second language research: Methodology and design.
Routledge.
29

Nica, E., 2015. Environmentally sustainable transport and e-commerce logistics. Economics,
Management And Financial Markets, 10(1), p.86.
Nica, E. (2015) 'POSITIVE DRIVERS OF CONSUMER TRUST IN E-COMMERCE', Journal
of Self-Governance & Management Economics, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 26-54
Nica, E., 2015. Satisfaction and trust in e-Commerce. Psychosociological Issues in Human
Resource Management, 3(1), pp.107-112.
Nica, E., 2015. Satisfaction and trust in e-Commerce. Psychosociological Issues in Human
Resource Management, 3(1), pp.107-112.
Pelău, C. and Bena, I. (2010) 'The risk perception for consumer segments in e-commerce and its
implication for the marketing strategy', Economic, vol. 12, no. 28, pp. 373-387.
Popescu, C.R., Popescu, V.A. and Popescu, G.N., 2015. The Impact of Electronic Commerce on
the Development of Nowadays Society: an Economic and a Managerial Perspective–A Case
Study on Romania’s Experience. Manager Journal, 22(1), pp.208-216.
Popescu, F.A. and Benea, C.B., 2017. INTERNATIONAL E-COMMERCE IN THE EU
MEMBER STATES: A GROWING ECONOMIC ACTIVITY. THE ANNALS OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF ORADEA, p.336.
Popescu, G.H., 2015. E-commerce effects on social sustainability. Economics, Management and
Financial Markets, 10(1), p.80.
Silverman, D. ed., 2016. Qualitative research. Sage.
Smith, J.A. ed., 2015. Qualitative psychology: A practical guide to research methods. Sage.
Stuckenschmidt, H. and Jannach, D. eds., 2015. E-Commerce and Web Technologies: 16th
International Conference on Electronic Commerce and Web Technologies, EC-Web 2015,
Valencia, Spain, September 2015, Revised Selected Papers(Vol. 239). Springer.
Seer, L., Beracs, J. and Pop, M.D. (2012) 'The Possible Causes of Low E-commerce Adoption in
Romania–Conceptualization of Trust Effect with regard to Low Level of Technology
Acceptance', Marketing From Information to Decision, vol. 7, no. 5, pp. 441-454.
Şeitan, O., Gherman, C. and Bulgărea, C.N. (2010) 'E-commerce with online payment through
bank card', Annals of the University of Petrosani, Economics, vol. 10, no. 4, pp. 309-316.
30

Şeitan, O., Gherman, C. and Bulgărea, C.N. (2010) 'E-commerce with online payment through
bank card', Annals of the University of Petrosani, Economics, vol. 10, no. 4, pp. 309-316.
Taylor, S.J., Bogdan, R. and DeVault, M., 2015. Introduction to qualitative research methods: A
guidebook and resource. John Wiley & Sons.
Turban, E. and Turban, D.C., 2018. Marketing and Advertising in E-Commerce. In Electronic
Commerce 2018 (pp. 361-401). Springer, Cham.
Turban, E., and et.al., 2015. E-Commerce Security and Fraud Issues and Protections.
In Electronic Commerce (pp. 457-518). Springer, Cham.
Vaioleti, T.M., 2016. Talanoa research methodology: A developing position on Pacific
research. Waikato Journal of Education, 12(1).
Voineagu, V. and Begu, L.S., 2016. AN ANALYSIS OF THE ROMANIAN E-COMMERCE
TRADE TRENDS IN EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVE. Economic Computation &
Economic Cybernetics Studies & Research, 50(1).
Wang, W.T., Wang, Y.S. and Liu, E.R., 2016. The stickiness intention of group-buying websites:
The integration of the commitment–trust theory
Online
Ecommerce in Romania: €1.8 billion in 2016. 2017. [Online]. Available
through:<https://ecommercenews.eu/ecommerce-romania-e1-8-billion-2016/>
Ecommerce in Romania. 2018. [Online]. Available
through:<https://ecommercenews.eu/ecommerce-per-country/ecommerce-romania/
#market>
Radu, A., 2015. In 2014 Romanian e-commerce market exceeded 1 billion EUR. [Online].
Available through:<http://www.gpec.ro/blog/en/in-2014-romanian-e-commerce-market-
exceeded-1-billion-eur>
Romania eCommerce Insights. 2018. [Online]. Available
through:<https://www.eshopworld.com/blog-articles/romania-ecommerce-insights/>
31

THE EVOLUTION OF E-COMMERCE IN ROMANIA . 2017. [PDF].
<file:///home/user1/Desktop/CKS_2017_Business_administration_and_marketing_005.pdf
./>
32

APPENDIX I
Questionnaire to Romanians
Name: ________
1. What is your gender?
Male
Female
2. Which age group do you belong to?
20-30
31-40
41-50
51 and above
3. What is your marital status?
Single
Married
Widowed
Separated
4. What is your employment status?
Self Employed
Employed for wages
Retired
Student
5. What is your annual income?
£5000 – £15000
£15000 – £25000
£25000 – £35000
33

£35000 and above
6. Do you prefer e-commerce platform to purchase the products and services?
Strongly Agree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
7. What payment mode you prefer for making online purchase?
Credit Card
PrePaid Card
Mobile
Bank Transfer
eWallets
8. Are you satisfied by using e-commerce websites while doing online shopping?
Extremely Satisfied
Satisfied
Dissatisfied
Extremely Dissatisfied
9. E-commerce is significant for business environment?
Strongly Agree
Agree
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
10. Could you please detail how the business thrives after e-commerce business practices
implemented in Romania?
By increasing productivity
By increasing revenue
Through maximising customer base
34