MerchantPro Compass: Black Friday day returns to growth, with +10% more transactions
Romanians shift priorities: Health, Culture, and Hobbies take the lead, while Fashion and Home&Deco lose ground to low-cost non-EU commerce
Romanians shift priorities: Health, Culture, and Hobbies take the lead, while Fashion and Home&Deco lose ground to low-cost non-EU commerce
Black Friday 2025 marks a turning point for Romanian eCommerce. After two years of stagnation, the day recorded a +10% increase in the number of transactions, while the overall campaign week saw a +20% rise in value, peaking at +48% on Thursday. According to the annual analysis by MerchantPro, the SaaS eCommerce platform, the Pharma, Sports, Auto&Moto, and Books segments surged strongly, while Fashion, Home&Deco, and Children’s Products slowed down under pressure from low-cost Asian commerce.
The performance data, collected from a representative sample of local online stores using the MerchantPro platform, indicate a shift in how Romanians planned their purchases compared to the past two years, with greater focus on new categories.
If previous reports showed stagnation on Friday, this year Black Friday orders increased by over 10%, with sales value up by 18%. The biggest surprise came on Thursday, when sales value jumped by +48%, amid a +10% increase in orders.
For the entire week (Nov 4–10), growth was moderate, with +3% more orders and +20% higher value compared to the equivalent week in 2024, confirming the efficiency of extended Black Week campaigns. The average order value reached €68, up +16% year over year.
Post–Black Friday weekend trends were milder, with Sunday (Nov 9) flat in transaction volume, and Monday seeing fewer orders but the highest average basket value of €81.
“Extended Black Week campaigns are the new eCommerce standard. They allow for better operational planning and reduced strain on logistics infrastructure, while giving consumers access to real discounts in a more comfortable time frame. Unlike past years, shoppers acted faster this time, making confident decisions early in the campaign when they found strong offers from trusted retailers,” explained Arthur Rădulescu, CEO of MerchantPro.
Health and Hobbies Dominate: Pharma, Sports, Food, and Books Shine in Black Friday 2025
Across categories, the strongest growth during Black Week 2025 (Nov 4–10) was seen in Pharma (+200%) and Books (+100%). Solid increases were also reported in Sports & Leisure, Food, Jewelry & Accessories, Auto & Moto, and IT & Electronics, according to MerchantPro data.
These segments saw significant order volume increases, over 50% in some cases, confirming growing consumer interest in wellness, health, and creative activities, as well as the impact of digital optimization by merchants in emerging sectors such as pharmaceuticals and food retail.
