Shopping in Poland: how many of us do the shopping online?

A few years ago online shopping seemed a little exotic and exclusive. Yet Polish e-commerce market in 2021 clearly shows that purchasing goods online is now an everyday thing. See how many Polish people buy over the Internet and get insight into prospects of growth of this market.

77% of Polish Internet users do the shopping online.

Three out of four Internet users take advantage of e-commerce. This is the findings of „E-commerce in Poland” report, made by Gemius. What is the exact number? Since the number of Polish Internet users exceeds 28,8 million (which accounts for 87% of resident of Poland), it is estimated that over 22 million Polish people buy products over the Internet, which is a substantial rise when compared to the pre-pandemic period.

Importantly, even though restrictions concerning brick-and-mortar stores have eased ever since the coronavirus pandemic started, popularity of e-commerce does not seem to weaken. Quite the contrary – it is growing. When compared to 2020, the number of Poles who buy online has risen by 4 percent, which demonstrates a conspicuous growth trend.

Who buys over the Internet in Poland?

Polish Internet users’ behavior on the e-commerce market is very interesting. Based on the studies:

• as many as 75% of customers choose Polish e-stores,
• only 32% choose to make a purchase on foreign platforms,
• residents of villages, small towns and larger cities with a population of over 200 thousand do the shopping online – still city dwellers seem to be more convinced to e-shopping, yet these differences are not as considerable as you may expect,
• persons with higher education (41% of all buyers) and average financial standing (56%) are the most willing to go online for shopping,
• online stores are most commonly visited by users aged 35-49, followed by persons aged 50+ (34 and 28% of online shoppers, respectively).

As you can see, Polish consumers are getting more and more willing to go shopping online, while a skillful commencement of e-commerce sale can be a way of achieving success in business.

Advantages and drawbacks of buying online according to Polish people

The study conducted by PwC shows that e-commerce market growth in Poland is not temporary – experts forecast a stable 12-percent annual rise of this market until at least 20261. This is expressed through consumers’ declarations: as many as 74% of respondents hold that they intend to buy online as frequently as they do now after the end of pandemic, while 10% plan to increase their activity in e-commerce.

Where does such a considerable interest in this form of shopping come from? From improving service quality provided by Polish e-shops. Online stores are valued for:

• 24-hour availability (which seems very important in the context of Sunday trading ban),
• no need to go to the shop,
• unlimited time for choosing the product – it is crucial when purchasing costly goods, e.g. household appliances or devices.

Other factors which encourage consumers to choose the online channel :

• low delivery costs (more and more people expect it to be free of charge),
• lower prices when compared to the ones in brick-and-mortar stores,
• extra discounts for shopping online rather than offline.

If you wish to perform well on the e-sales market, you need to skillfully react to problems which discourage Polish people from buying over the Internet. A key obstacle for many consumers is a time-consuming delivery of products – stressed by as many as 34% of respondents.

The solution which can allow shortening goods shipping time is modern logistics services. If you need a comprehensive support in this respect: starting from collection of goods from the distributor, through co-packing, integration of the warehouse system with the e-store, and ending up with shipping to the final customer, contact our experts. We will help you take the most of the potential of our domestic e-commerce market!