Consumer Anxiety Persists at the Start of 2026
The beginning of the year brings a heightened state of caution in the Romanian retail sector, amid pressures on household budgets and increasingly planned and controlled consumer behavior. Public data and market signals show that Romanians are adjusting their purchasing decisions, scrutinizing prices more carefully and prioritizing the real value of offers over impulsive purchases.
For retailers, this context translates into a clear shift in the purchasing decision toward digital channels before entering the store. Consumers actively search for promotions, compare offers, and choose sales points that provide predictability, proximity, and competitive prices.
“At the start of the year, we see a much more calculated consumer. People are not giving up on shopping, but they are changing how they decide: they compare more, seek relevant offers, and want to know exactly what they get for their money. For retailers, the stakes are no longer just visibility, but the ability to be relevant exactly at the moment when purchase intent is forming,” says Cătălin Pațachia, Country Manager Shopfully.
The end of last year confirmed a tempering of consumption, with a more cautious dynamic in retail sales, and the beginning of 2026 consolidates this trend. January is traditionally a month of budget resets, in which promotions, economic packages, and price clarity become decisive factors in choosing the store.
In this context, retailers are encouraged to closely monitor early demand indicators, interest in promotions, searches with clear purchase intent, and price differences compared to competitors, as well as the performance of conversion from digital to physical traffic. Visibility is no longer sufficient, and commercial success increasingly depends on the ability to transform online interest into real store visits.
From Shopfully’s perspective, the European leader in Drive to Store solutions, retail anxiety can be turned into an advantage through rapid digital adaptation. Retailers should focus on:
- Customer loyalty through multi-platform ecosystems (apps, websites, media networks);
- Data-based personalization – multi-layered targeting (intent, potential interest, last mile);
- Real-time optimization of campaigns and creatives to connect digital traffic with real store visits.
The outlook for 2026 remains mixed, but with potential for modest recovery: GDP growth is estimated at 1.1%, and inflation is expected to decrease to around 3.7-4.5% by the end of the year (according to various forecasts from the European Commission, National Bank of Romania, and analysts like ING). Thus, offer personalization, transparent communication, and the ability to reach consumers exactly at the moment of decision will make the difference between mere market presence and real sales performance.
About Shopfully
Shopfully is the European leader in Drive to Store solutions, helping retailers and brands turn online searches into shopping. It operates in 25 countries and has a team of over 1000 specialists. The company collaborates with over 500 retailers and brands, reaching over 400 million consumers globally through an extensive network of media partners, digital platforms, and innovative technology solutions, including its own hyperlocal marketing platform based on artificial intelligence.