Only 4% Of Romanians Shopped Online In 2008 – EC Research

Latvia, Belgium, Romania and Bulgaria are the countries where consumers are least able to buy cross border and in all but two countries the odds of succeeding in a cross border purchase are lower than 50%, the EC research shows.

Finland and the Netherlands are the two EU states that trust their national online commerce.

The research shows 57% of UK consumers ordered products and services online in 2008, followed by Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands with 50%.

"But the gap between domestic and cross-border e-commerce is widening as a result of barriers to online trade. While the share of EU consumers who shop online grew from 27% to 33% in two years (2006-08), the share of those who bought anything online from another EU country was stagnant (6% to 7%). And only 21% of traders currently sell at a distance across borders." shows the research.

The research found that 60% of 11,000 cross border transactions could not be completed by consumers because the trader did not ship the product to their country or did not offer adequate means for cross border payment.

Only 33% of the EU consumers are willing to purchase products advertized in a foreign language, while 60% of retailers can make transactions in more than one language.

Over 30% of the European consumers complained the traders refuse to deliver the ordered products as they do not have their premises in the shopper's residence state.

The European Commission proposes to create a unitary set of rights for all EU consumers and the simplification of the cross border retail norms in order to solve problems regarding cross border internet shopping.

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