Nearly 53% of Romanians have prepared to search for the best deals on Black Friday, the greatest shopping event of the year. However, over the past year, inflation’s effects and the faster increase in living expenses relative to earnings have reduced purchasing power, which has affected the shopping budget.
Therefore, according to a national poll of 1,171 customers done by tbi bank in October, 72% of consumers said that even if they expect to spend a large amount, at least RON500, the value is the same as or even less than last year. At least RON1,000 is what a third of them plan to spend. However, more than 43% rely on their October salary or intend to borrow because they lack funds.
„Romanians remain interested in the largest retail event of the year, Black Friday. Most of them are considering buying items they need personally or for their home, and some are even thinking about buying Christmas gifts during this period. Additionally, over 58% will focus exclusively on online purchases, and a similar percentage will use a shopping app,” Ionut Sabadac, VP Merchant Solutions at tbi, mentioned.
Monitoring Price Trends Before Black Friday
Over 83% of respondents monitor price trends before Black Friday, and over 30% say they have been tracking desired products for more than a month. Almost 36% believe that discounts will be smaller than last year, while only 10.2% expect larger discounts.
Nearly 42% of respondents are looking for the lowest price for needed items, 37.7% choose to buy only if the price meets their expectations, and 20.5% will make purchases only if the discount is substantial. Additionally, 58.5% will decide to buy something only if the discount is at least 30%.
Among the products Romanians plan to buy on Black Friday are mainly electronics (40.5%), appliances (39.2%), IT (27.8%), fashion (18.4%), home & decor (13.1%), beauty (11.7%), food and beverages (10.5%), and toys (9.3%). Over 72% of shoppers are looking for products they personally or household needs, 28.1% want to buy Christmas gifts, 27.5% plan to get various gifts for family and friends, and nearly 20% are interested in high-value items they had planned to purchase this year but were waiting for Black Friday deals.
In the tbi Romania app there are over 1,600 online shops through which tbi customers can catch every Black Friday offer there is, from clothes, jewelry, perfumes, decorations, toys, flowers etc. During the campaign’s period – November 1 – 30, tbi customers that choose to pay later in 4 interest-free installments up to RON2,000 or in up to 60 fixed installments with tbi app are automatically entered a lucky draw for one of 230 prizes x 500 lei money back on their account.
The tbi bank survey analyzed consumer habits and preferences during Black Friday and was conducted in October 2024, nationally, through the iVox platform, with a total sample of 1,171 internet users from Romania. Over 48% of participants are female, and nearly 39% have a net income of over RON5,000.
