BCG: Romanian consumers grow more pessimistic amid economic fears

The findings reveal that Romanians are more concerned than the average European consumer about the economy, inflation, energy costs, and geopolitical uncertainty. Nearly three-quarters (72%) of Romanian consumers describe the country's economic situation negatively, up eight percentage points from last year, and above the European average of 56%. Of those polled, 75% are concerned about energy prices and 73% about inflation, the highest levels in Europe among the major consumer concerns that BCG measured.

"The most revealing is that Romanians would save it if they had an increase in income, rather than spend it. They expect their incomes to fall and over 40% of them said that any extra income would go straight into savings," said György Lakatos-Tárák, BCG Partner. "In this environment, promotions have a limited impact, they grow the consumer basket less; they rather decide which brand captures the spending that's already there."

Romanian consumers continue to prioritise necessities over discretionary purchases. Net spending remains strongest in groceries, home care, and pet care, where spending growth is largely driven by higher prices rather than increased consumption. By contrast, consumers expect to reduce spending across many discretionary categories, including fashion, alcoholic beverages, furniture, and non-alcoholic beverages.

Up to 77% of Romanian consumers say that their purchase decisions are driven by discounts. The highest discount sensitivity was found in alcoholic beverages, toys and games, fashion, and personal care. However, private-label adoption remains below European levels in several categories, with only 35% of Romanian grocery shoppers frequently buying retailer-owned brands, five percentage points below the European average.