With over 38 million inhabitants, Poland is one of the fastest developing e-commerce markets. Around 83% of the population has access to the Internet. Each year, the number of people doing their shopping online increases.
Interestingly, Poles prefer to shop in online stores operating in Poland. Only 12% of Polish Internet users shop on foreign websites. The conclusion is obvious: if you want to reach local customers, you need a locally-based store.
According to the Omni-commerce report from June 2020 (unfortunately, it is only available in Polish):
72% of Polish Internet users who shop online make up more than 27 million potential customers. This number includes people from different age groups, among them seniors. However, the largest group is people aged 35 to 49, mostly residents of large cities (with over 200,000 inhabitants). Mobile devices are more likely to be used by women and the youngest Internet users are in the 15-24 age group.
Poles go online to buy clothes, shoes, books, CDs, cosmetics, electronic devices, and tickets for events. Compared to previous years, in 2020 there was a significant increase in expenditure on groceries, interior design, and decoration products. Unsurprisingly, experts associate this trend with the current COVID-19 pandemic. The important thing is the pandemic convinced Poles that shopping online is safe. Poles do their shopping mostly on online marketplaces, with Allegro.pl being the competition's unmatched leader.
Saving time and money is the most important reason why Poles shop online. To conquer the Polish market, you need to be fast. More than 80% of buyers want the delivery to be carried out within 24 hours of placing the order. You can also offer a free return policy, competitive shipping prices, generally lower costs, and various discounts to encourage shopping.
The quality of logistics services in Poland is very high. You may outsource pretty much all of the steps of the logistics chain, from storage to order processing. The most popular package delivery methods include courier services and parcel machines. Postal services take third place on the podium. Parcel machines (paczkomaty) are automated parcel collection points. In Poland, there are more than 7,000 of these machines spread throughout the country. Customers can collect their deliveries on their own 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Research shows that Poles consider online transactions to be safe. The main source of their doubts are the sellers themselves, which is why you need to establish your credibility from the very onset of your marker presence. A great website that takes into account the Polish cultural context will lay the foundation for your success. You'll find more on this topic in 5 ways to make your translated website more successful.
Source: Omni-Commerce Report, June 2020
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