Conversion checklist for a Romanian online store

The situation

You have traffic. People look at products, some add to cart, few buy. Before you raise the ad budget, go through the list below. These are basics, but in almost every audit of a Romanian store at least three of them are missing — and each one costs orders every day.

You do not have to do them all at once. Tick what you have, mark what is missing, order by impact.

The product page

This is where the decision is made. The page must answer any question the customer would ask a shop assistant in a physical store:

• Photos — at least 4–5, from different angles, with zoom, one "in context" (the product worn or in use). On mobile, the first image loads in under 2 seconds.
• Price including VAT, visible, next to the button. If there is a discount, the old price struck through and the new price — following the rules for displaying the prior price in promotions.
• Stock — "In stock" or "Last 3 left" or "Delivery in 5–7 days". Never a page where you cannot tell whether you can buy.
• Estimated delivery time — "Order by 15:00, we deliver tomorrow". Concrete, next to the price.
• Returns — one sentence: "Free returns within 14 days" or "Returns within 30 days, you pay the shipping". The link to the detailed policy is in addition, not instead.
• A useful description — dimensions, materials, compatibility, what is in the box. Not the manufacturer's text copied over.

Trust

A new visitor does not know you. The signals that matter in Romania:

• Real contact details — a phone number someone answers, the company address, registration number, e-mail. In the footer and on the contact page.
• Product reviews — real ones, including the 3-star ones. A store with only 5-star reviews looks fake.
• Mandatory legal links — to ANPC (the consumer protection authority) and to alternative dispute resolution (SAL). Check the current ANPC requirements: the European ODR (SOL) platform was shut down in July 2025, so the old SOL banner is no longer relevant, but the information duties remain.
• Terms, return policy, privacy policy — written plainly, not copied from another store with another name in the text.
• Payment method and courier logos — visible in the footer and in checkout.

Checkout: every step costs orders

• Guest checkout — buying without an account. The account can be created after the order, in one click. Forcing registration is one of the biggest reasons for abandonment.
• Payment methods — card (with 3D Secure that works on mobile), cash on delivery (still very much in demand in Romania), plus optional instalments or wallets. No cash on delivery loses some customers; no card loses others.
• Address autocomplete — county, town, street with suggestions. Fewer address mistakes also mean fewer returned parcels.
• Locker delivery — courier lockers are preferred by many urban customers; offer the option if you can.
• A single step or clear steps — no surprises at the end: the shipping cost is known before the last step.
• Clear errors — if the card payment fails, say what happened and offer cash on delivery as an immediate alternative.

The free shipping threshold

Free shipping "from X lei" is the simplest tool for raising average order value. Set the threshold slightly above the current average order (if the average is 180 lei, the threshold is 200–220 lei) and show it in the cart: "Add 35 lei more for free shipping". Measure average order value before and after.

Abandoned cart

Someone added to cart, entered their e-mail at checkout and left. It is the warmest lead you have:

1. E-mail at 1 hour — "You left something in your cart", with the products and a direct button to checkout. No discount.
2. E-mail at 24 hours — answer objections: returns, delivery, frequently asked questions.
3. Optionally, at 72 hours — a small incentive, only if margin allows. Do not teach customers to abandon the cart to get a discount.

All of this requires valid marketing consent and an e-mail already entered; the flow must comply with data protection rules.

Mobile speed

Most Romanian e-commerce traffic is on phones. Product pages and checkout must pass the Core Web Vitals thresholds (LCP under 2.5 s). Product images are by far the most frequent culprit, followed by review, chat and recommendation scripts all loaded in the first second.

Search and filters

People who search in the store buy more often than people who browse. Search must forgive typos and diacritics ("incaltaminte" and "încălțăminte" return the same results), suggest as you type and never lead to an empty page without alternatives. Filters reflect how people choose: size, colour, price, brand, availability — not the internal attributes from the ERP.

Post-purchase e-mails

The order does not end at payment. Immediate confirmation with what was ordered and when it arrives; a shipping notification with a tracking link; an e-mail after delivery asking whether everything is fine and requesting a review. This is where the second order begins.

The checklist table