site.btaGroup Buying in Bulgaria Gains Momentum

Group Buying in Bulgaria Gains Momentum

Sofia, January 30 (BTA) - Group buying in Bulgaria is gaining momentum, with purchases recording an increase by 4.5 million leva in 2015, Teodor Kafedjiev, marketing manager for the country's largest group-buying aggregator, told BTA.

A total of 185,000 group-buying vouchers were purchased in the country in the fourth quarter of 2015, compared with 135,000 in the third quarter, 130,000 in the second quarter and 80,000 in the first quarter.

Kafedjiev said his online platform sold 25 million leva worth of group-buying vouchers in 2015. The largest part of the purchases were for travel services. Customers were most interested in holiday trips in Bulgaria and to neighbouring Greece. The second-largest segment were cosmetic services, followed by restaurant and massage services.

Nearly 70,000 people bought low-priced ski and SPA packages in Bulgaria in the first half of last year. During the summer, over 65,000 users of Kafedjiev's online platform got discount deals for holidays on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, in Greece or in Turkey.

Last year also saw the most successful Black Friday campaign in Bulgaria ever as Kafedjiev's aggregator recorded over 750,000 leva in sales.

Nearly 100,000 SPA holiday packages were sold to group buyers in 2015. Interestingly, there was also steady interest in car-wash discount services, Kafedjiev said.

Demand for ski holidays among group buyers has peaked this winter, with Bansko, Borovets and Pamporovo being the best preferred resorts.

Kafedjiev expects that certain consumer trends will persist and develop this year: the increase in male group buyers, the growing interest in vouchers for theatre-goers, the rise in international holiday trips, and even larger sales of electric appliances at discount rates.