Key findings from the reTAG conference: 85% of consumers say trust is a top driver in their choice

The event included presentation sessions and two panel discussions, moderated by Daniel Drăgan, Managing Partner at BusinessMark.

Traian Năstase, Managing Partner at iSense Solutions, opened the first session with a talk about strategies brands can use to become more appealing to consumers. He presented the results of a study on Romanian brands and consumers.

“Fear rose to 41% in 2023 and has remained at that level. We are, so to speak, on high alert. We’re mainly talking about financial fears. These have significantly increased in 2024 and remain high in 2025. There’s fear around inflation, tax hikes, and economic crisis. However, consumers don’t expect their income to decrease – this is something brands should take into account.
We’ve seen a trend that also exists abroad: more and more Romanians are saving. Maybe my income isn’t increasing, but I’ll keep saving – and that’s a challenge for brands. How can we convince buyers to choose us in this context?
Romanians are surrounded by fake news – 74% say they saw fake news during the election campaign, including from influencers. This has led to a general lack of trust, and Romanians now value ethical behavior. So, the consumer becomes skeptical. The trust a brand inspires is key. 85% of consumers say trust is a top driver in their decision-making. What builds trust? Shared values, honest communication, and relevance to the individual,” he explained.

Sorin Zaharov, Digital Monitoring Specialist & Product Manager at Advahoo, then spoke about intelligent observability – from digital user experience to infrastructure elements.

“Let’s talk digitalization. Even vacations are planned online now, so user experience matters across every field. We need to ensure we deliver products at the highest standard. The Dynatrace platform integrates into your systems. It’s AI-powered, fully automated, requires minimal integration effort, and tracks every click to show backend systems and issues. All teams can use the platform to identify bottlenecks. It also pulls contextual info like cart value and customer type. When issues arise, it helps assess revenue loss and prioritize requests,” he explained.

A panel followed, featuring Mircea Varga (Teilor Holding, Perla Harghitei, Apemin Tușnad), Geanina Ungureanu (CPI Property Group | Romania), Tiberiu Dănețiu (Auchan), Michael Kaiser (Sezamo), Laura Ciocoiu (Roua Beauty), Ioan-Bogdan Dorobanț (Decathlon Romania) and Adrian Păun (Cărturești).

Panelists agreed that retail, e-commerce, and FMCG sectors in Romania have high growth potential despite macroeconomic challenges.

Tiberiu Dănețiu, Board Member and Director at Auchan, shared:

“I share the same optimism regarding Romania’s development potential. We’re proud of our achievements last year – we emphasized price differentiation and launched two new concepts: ATAC Hiper Discount and the Simply by Auchan franchise. We’re accelerating in retail media. To make customers fall in love with your brand, use retail media – it’s more effective than any other medium.
Energy costs increased, affecting prices, but over 90% of our products come from Romanian producers. We are focused on offering the best prices.”

Mircea Varga, Chairman at Teilor Holding, added:

“Things are in constant motion. We must understand this is the new normal. The customer is evolving too – becoming more mature and moving with the times and technology. 2024 was great for us. Fear should be constructive – otherwise, it paralyzes us. We’ve learned to adapt economically. 2025 started strong, and I’m optimistic. Sticking to what worked in the past may not help us stand out now. If nothing catastrophic happens, 2025 won’t be worse than 2024.”

Geanina Ungureanu, Head of Retail at CPI Property Group | Romania, observed:

“We’re all competing for consumer time. The mall is where families and friends meet, where events happen. This creates a sense of community. We’ve seen strong traffic and sales growth in Constanța. While we initially thought it was due to Ukrainian refugees, the trend continued. Cities like Florești (Cluj) and Constanța evolved significantly around malls.”

Michael Kaiser, CCO at Sezamo.ro, said:

“We’re optimistic for the future. Sezamo saves people time and offers convenience. We source over 80% of our products from Romanian producers. We also offer entry-price ranges and take responsibility by paying producers promptly, enabling better forecasting. We seek transparency when price hikes happen.”

Adrian Păun, Head of Marketing at Cărturești, noted:

“The book market is growing. Every year, we see more readers, which makes us happy. We aim to make books more accessible and continue expanding. Inflation hit us, but strong discounts are protecting consumers.”

Laura Ciocoiu, Country Manager at Roua Beauty, added:

“The beauty market is growing. Consumers are more informed and value authenticity. Generation Z and Alpha are shaping new routines, and we must adjust our marketing accordingly. 72% of purchase decisions are influenced by digital content, especially creators. Consistent online and offline brand presence is essential.”

Ioan-Bogdan Dorobanț, B2B Director at Decathlon Romania:

“Romanians want value-priced sports gear. We also serve the expert product market. We’re pushing sustainability: 15% of last year’s bikes were second-hand. We're continuing with buy-back and sustainability programs.”

Dana Dobrescu, Manager Corporate & Government Affairs at Mondelēz International, opened the second session discussing how sustainability shapes consumer choices.

“Our choices increasingly reflect our identities and values. Over 60% of consumers choose brands that align with their personal values. Half are deeply concerned about climate change and want to act. The best tool they have is purchasing power.
84% say sustainability messaging on packaging influences their buying decision. They are four times more likely to choose products that communicate sustainability clearly.”

Ana-Maria Diceanu, Founder & CEO of Brain4Strategy, emphasized crisis communication:

“Do we still know our customers well? Trust is declining. According to the 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer, those hit hardest by the pandemic trust less – in brands and authorities.
We’re in a social media era – people share content without reading it. There’s ‘compassion fatigue.’ We lack patience and understanding.”

Teodor Gurgui, Loyalty Manager at Carrefour Romania, addressed loyalty programs:

“Traditional loyalty cards are becoming apps. Consumers use an average of 5.7 programs – loyalty is growing. The top motivators are price and repeat purchases.
Our omnichannel strategy ensures benefits across stores and e-commerce. Loyalty also depends on shopping experience. The average Act for Good user is a 43-year-old man from a large city who shops five times a month. Self-scan usage rose 25%, and e-commerce by 15%.”

Alina Necula, Country Manager at Lion's Head Investments, discussed warehouse development:

“We bought land in Popești Leordeni, south of Bucharest. We await building permits and plan to break ground in May. It’s our first project in Romania.
South Bucharest is still logistically underserved, but infrastructure improvements help. We’ll build 20,000 sqm speculatively and are negotiating for 10,000 sqm.”

A final panel featured Mihai Pătrașcu (evoMAG.ro), Cristian Pelivan (ARMO), Cătălin Gealapu (Base.com), Cătălin Bordei (Innobyte), Alin Vlad (Otter), and Oana Opriș (Otter).

Cristian Pelivan, Executive Director at ARMO:
“Online shopping is the 3rd or 4th most common internet activity in Romania. However, much of the money flows abroad. We want Romania to become a CEE e-commerce hub.
One big barrier is reverse logistics – our couriers don’t handle returns well. We plan to propose comprehensive solutions to the Ministry of Economy.”

Mihai Pătrașcu, CEO of evoMAG.ro:
“Pandemic-induced growth exposed fragility. The e-commerce market corrected in 2022–2023. Now we see 8–10% growth for the next five years. Return rates have increased. Online payments are now at 55%. ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ is no longer taboo.”

Cătălin Gealapu, Base.com:
“Offline businesses were forced to digitize. Now we understand automation and AI better. E-commerce and next-day delivery are growing. We must balance online and offline strategies to retain customers.”

Cătălin Bordei, Innobyte:
“Romania’s e-commerce sector is very competitive. We need creative campaigns and transparency. Payment options like ApplePay, GooglePay, and saved cards should be prioritized. Let’s streamline checkout processes.”

Alin Vlad, Otter:
“Profitability is a challenge as costs rise, especially in courier services. We optimized product sourcing and logistics. Customers now expect quick returns and accurate product information.”

Oana Opriș, Genuin Shop:
“Cash-on-delivery remains high in Romania. Installment payments help. We introduced a care & repair service and ran a ‘trade-in for bedding’ campaign to promote organic products and recycling.”

The event was organized by BusinessMark.

Conference partners: CPI Property Group, Lion’s Head Romania, Advahoo, Base.com, Mantis Romania, Innobyte, iSense Solutions
Technology partners: SCS, 4pay.ro
Monitoring partner: mediaTrust
Media partners: depozitinfo.ro, birouinfo.ro, Logistic Post, spotmedia.ro, Ziarul Bursa, IQads, SMARK, angajatorulmeu.ro, PRwave, Debizz, MATEK, Transilvania Business, Jurnalul de Afaceri, Global HR Manager, EventsMax, Revista Piața, spațiulconstruit.ro, Club Economic, România Durabilă, Economistul, Business Voice, digital-business.ro, Daibau.ro, Instal News, Business Press

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