Bucharest, 29 July 2026. Summer has left its mark on Romanians’ shopping baskets. Local, seasonal products have gained ground in the preferences of Freshful by eMAG customers, Romania’s first 100% online hypermarket, which recorded growth across the main season-specific categories, from fresh fruit and vegetables to drinks and ice cream.
Romanian products set the taste of summer
In June, cucumbers (30,882 units), tomatoes (23,951) and corn (22,210) were the most ordered vegetables, while in fruit, lemons (19,981), avocados (19,819), bananas (19,786) and cherries (18,337) led the rankings.
In total, Freshful customers ordered over 20.6 tonnes of tomatoes, 17.2 tonnes of watermelon, 12.7 tonnes of cherries and over 5 tonnes of strawberries, a sign that summer meals are increasingly being built around fresh produce and seasonal ingredients.
Corn on the cob, the star of the start of summer
If there is one product that defines the start of summer, it is corn on the cob. Compared to May, the number of units ordered grew almost seven times, from 3,335 to 22,079, and compared to June 2025 the category advanced by over 150%.
It is not, however, the only product gaining ground with the arrival of the warm season. Romanian cherries recorded over 6,500 more orders than in May, and new potatoes almost 5,700 more. At the same time, the cherries and sour cherries category grew by 70% compared to the same period last year, and artisanal ice cream doubled its sales.
“Every season we see how seasonality quickly changes the structure of the shopping basket, and as soon as they appear, Romanian products become customers’ choice. We respond to this interest by collaborating with producers from across the country and through the constant development of the Freshful offering, where customers find over 1,100 local products from over 140 small Romanian producers, so that they have access to fresh and seasonal products throughout the summer,” adds Anca-Maria Popescu, Head of Buying Fruits & Vegetables, Meat, Fish, Bakery at Freshful by eMAG.
The growing demand for seasonal Romanian products is also visible in the year-on-year volumes recorded. In the first months of 2026, Romania’s first 100% online hypermarket delivered over 783,000 units from this category, 88% more than in the same period last year.
Summer means simple meals and more hydration
The change is also visible in the combinations of products ordered together. Cheese with tomatoes is the most frequent combination, present in 17,897 orders, approximately 15% of all orders placed in June. In the top rankings follow tomatoes with cucumbers (14,229 orders), water with lemons (7,975) and chicken breast with salad (4,026), combinations that outline simple, fresh and season-specific menus.
As temperatures rise, so does the interest in hydration. Still water remains the most ordered category, with 149,482 products delivered in June, followed by cola-type drinks (78,363), flavoured water (58,258) and sparkling water (53,293). The average value of an order was 372.6 lei, and the most orders were placed on Fridays, when Romanians stock up for the weekend.
Freshful by eMAG offers a complete shopping basket, from fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, fish and dairy products, to organic and eco products, drinks, cosmetics, hygiene products and detergents, all delivered directly to the door in temperature-controlled vehicles to preserve the freshness of the products. In addition, customers can hand packaging bearing the SGR symbol to the courier, with the deposit value returned directly to their Freshful account.
