Row-oriented databases store data in rows, making it efficient for transactions that involve reading or writing entire records. This structure is particularly useful for applications that require quick access to complete rows of data, such as customer relationship management systems or e-commerce platforms. In contrast to column-oriented databases, which store data in columns, row-oriented databases excel in scenarios where data retrieval is based on complete records. This design choice often leads to faster performance for operations like inserts, updates, and deletes, making them suitable for online transaction processing (OLTP) applications.