With the approach of the winter holidays, Romanians feel both the joy of preparing gifts and the pressure of expenses that come with the festive season. 63% of Romanians do more shopping than usual during the Christmas and New Year's period, a percentage that rises to 80% among young people.
Based on the conclusions of the Financial Seasons Barometer, the CFA Romania Association launches the Abracashdabra holiday guide, a set of practical recommendations created by certified Chartered Financial Analyst specialists to support the management of festive shopping in a clearer and more balanced way.
CFA Romania is the Association of Investment Professionals from Romania who hold the international Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) certification, a top qualification in the financial field, administered by the CFA Institute and which supports ethical and professional standards, career development and financial education in Romania.
The young, faster in scrolling, and the mature, more reserved in clicking
The winter holiday period stands out as the shopping moment most cited by Romanians, significantly surpassing other seasonal occasions, such as Black Friday, Easter or the holidays. Romanians relate not only to the joy of giving gifts, but also to an increasing volume of commercial stimuli: newsletters or personalized advertisements and limited-time offers. Young Generation Z are the most receptive to such messages: 64% say they are influenced by personalized offers at least sometimes. The trend gradually declines among older generations: 57% of Millennials and 49% of Gen Xers say the same.
Most Romanians, however, adopt a cautious approach to time-limited offers: 46% compare prices or look for alternatives, and 36% put the products in the basket and decide later. Only a small percentage, 8%, buy immediately for fear of missing out on the offer, a behavior more common among Generation Z, while 9% completely ignore such promotions.
Digital vigilance, a clear gap between generations
The differences, however, do not stop at the reaction to offers, but also at the way each generation manages risks. Young people demonstrate a high level of vigilance: 64% of 18-28-year-olds have identified and managed to avoid fake offers, and only 4% are not sure if they have encountered fraud. Among Gen Xers, uncertainty is higher, with 15% of respondents not sure if they have encountered fraud. Despite the vigilance of different generations, approximately 8% of Romanians admit that they have been victims of fake offers or online fraud.
Abracashdabra: The Guide to Responsible Shopping and Peaceful Budgets
To support conscious consumption during the most intense shopping season of the year, the CFA Romania Association launches the “Holiday Abracashdabra” guide, a practical material built on the expertise of CFA certified specialists. The guide combines financial clarity with ideas for maintaining peace of mind and personal balance in the face of offers and promotions.
“The holidays can be an opportunity to put smart financial decisions into practice: from saving and responsible spending planning, to investing in experiences and values that bring real satisfaction. Even in the face of deals popping up everywhere this time, prioritizing gifts that create memories or comparing prices can turn the festive season into a balanced process”, said Florentina Almajanu, general director of the CFA Romania Association.
Financial literacy is essential during deal seasons
Financial education offers Romanians the necessary tools to manage their resources more effectively and to ensure their financial independence, and the messages about responsible consumption and financial education are considered useful by the respondents of the study: more than half of them read them and try to apply them, including 60% of the young people from Generation Z.
A quarter of Romanians want to learn to recognize real discounts, and a similar percentage wants to avoid impulse purchases. At the same time, 44% of young Gen Zers want to learn how to save for gifts, more than 20 percentage points higher than the general population average. Regarding the perception of saving, 66% see it as a form of responsibility, 24% as planning for the future, and only 8% associate it with a restriction or giving up.
