Pixer Agency ANALYSIS: SMEs are going through turbulent times, with revenue drops of 30%-50%. There is great pressure on businesses, and they need sales to increase 6 times faster to survive

The most affected areas are e-commerce, B2B services, and health & wellness. Without sales from digital marketing, many businesses will collapse.

According to a Pixer Agency analysis, SMEs are facing a series of critical problems that are testing their development and even their existence. These include a decrease in revenues by up to 50% and high expenses greater than earnings. The most affected are businesses in e-commerce, B2B services, and health and wellness, for which online customers and the sales generated by them represent between 70% and 90% of the business.

“7 out of 10 companies we started working with in the first quarter of the year were struggling with a drastic drop in sales, lack of clear strategies, and superficial promotion. The profit per investment was much too low compared to the expenses incurred, with businesses needing to get between 300 and 1,500 lei for every 100 lei invested in online promotion.

Sales declines can be inevitable, especially in tougher periods, with high and aggressive competition, and with consumers starting to better analyze what they spend. As we find ourselves in a difficult economic context, with great pressure on businesses, the marketing agency or marketing specialists must ensure the survival and continuity of a business, not just be providers of promotional services. It is no longer enough to do branding or generate traffic; it is vital that any investment in advertising generates fast, consistent, and measurable sales”, declares Alex Popescu, co-founder of Pixer Agency.

Companies don’t cut marketing budgets, but they change marketing agencies every 2 months if there are no sales

SMEs are facing increasingly aggressive competition and a sharp increase in customer acquisition costs, which significantly reduces their profit margins. Added to this are rapid changes in consumer behavior, which leads to lost opportunities and decreased sales. Without rapid adaptation and high-performance digital marketing solutions, many businesses risk being left behind or even completely exiting the market. Thus, in 2025, digital marketing is no longer optional, and without a solid strategy, a business suffers. The pressure is greater than in previous years. 2024 was an unpredictable year, and 2025 comes with major changes, affecting SMEs.

However, despite the more difficult economic context, companies are not reducing marketing budgets, but are much more demanding, requesting optimization of promotion costs, increased sales, results with maximum efficiency, obtaining sales with a lower advertising cost, and also results in a shorter time. In 2025, the digital marketing budgets of SMEs vary between 1,000 euros and 150,000 euros per month, with companies in the ecommerce, tourism, and fashion sectors being the largest investors in online promotion, especially in Google Ads, Facebook Ads, TikTok Ads, but also email marketing.

“SMEs must find solutions to support themselves and no longer have the luxury of waiting 6 months for results, but want sales faster, up to 6 times faster than in previous years. In the absence of sales, many companies change marketing agencies after just two months of collaboration. Today, any business depends on online sales, and digital marketing is no longer just “a promotion channel”, but the essence of survival and development. Without a clear strategy, many businesses collapse. We, at Pixer Agency, because we are recognized in the market for fast sales, without wasting budget, have a 65% increase in the number of clients in the first quarter compared to the same period in 2024. We have seen sales increases between 50% and 200% in the first 3 months for clients. Unfortunately, in our field, there are many providers who have not understood that digital marketing has transformed from a promotion channel into a factor generating sales and business growth, including for those businesses that do not sell online, but whose customers are in the digital environment. For example, dental and aesthetic clinics, which practically sell services and have physical activity, have on average at least 70% of their patients from online promotion. And subsequently, income also comes from the recommendations of patients coming from online”, explains Adrian Stoiculescu, co-founder of Pixer Agency.

How can Romanians be convinced to buy, and what can companies that have no sales do?

In a constantly changing market, Romanian consumers shop differently. Perceived value matters more than price – it is no longer enough to be cheap; the benefit offered must be clearly conveyed. Trust plays an essential role, and reviews, testimonials, and transparency are decisive in the purchasing process. The shopping experience must be impeccable – a fast website, a clear message, and a simple ordering process make the difference. At the same time, discounts still work, but only when they are part of a limited, well-positioned offer.

Businesses with weak sales need to make profound but essential changes in their digital marketing strategy, calling on specialists with proven results. By correctly redefining the customer profile, appropriate positioning, setting up an efficient sales funnel that converts users into buyers, optimizing the cost per click by up to 40%, and implementing smart automation, visible sales increases occur from the first 30-60 days.

In 2024, Pixer Agency managed budgets of almost 3 million euros for companies in various fields, setting up over 3,600 campaigns and generating 65,000 qualified potential customers. Pixer Agency has developed a complex system through which it addresses all the needs related to paid promotion and which maximizes results through an advanced PPC structure. For example, the agency generated an increase from zero to over 1,100 conversions and sales of almost 1 million lei with an investment of 35,000 lei, in just two months of collaboration, for a company in the automotive field. For a company in the fashion field, in 45 days, Pixer Agency generated revenues of 1.5 million lei with a well-adjusted remarketing strategy and precise targeting, and for a dental clinic, it generated revenues of 1.4 million euros in one year.

Founded by specialists with over 8 years of experience in the field of marketing, Pixer Agency comes with a unique approach to the market, developing a system that includes PPC services (Facebook Ads, Google Ads, TikTok Ads, LinkedIn Ads), graphic design and video editing, conversion-oriented landing pages, email, SMS and WhatsApp automation, integrated scheduling system, copywriting and SEO articles. Pixer Agency has over 200 clients in its portfolio from 35 fields, and the team includes 12 specialists who have set up over 7,500 campaigns with high-performance sales, managing budgets of over 15 million euros.