Poland eCommerce: Market on the Rise 2011

Just four years after the first significant Internet portal saw the light of day, has Poland risen to become the fifth largest eCommerce market in Europe. The dynamic development of the Polish market accounts for a rapid 35% expansion in e-shops each year, and research points toward a net worth of the Polish online shopping market of € 5.9 billion by 2015. (Source: EU Online Retailing: Sizes & Forecasts)

The market shows a lot of potential, with only 23% of Polish people purchasing items online (the rate for Germany and Holland is 50%, while almost 70% of Danes and Norwegians made such purchase). Knowing the Polish market we believe that this gap will be decreased over the course of the next years.

Mobile internet is popular but is still to be widely adapted, however it is flexing its muscles, and together with the development of the social media the market is picking up speed. By 2012 40% of all mobile phones used will be “smartphones”.

As more and more people are adapting the mobile internet and show the need of staying connected, this especially encourages retailers to reach out to their customers online. The current market situation means that there is still plenty of space for future online retailers, and thanks to affordable web commerce solutions more retailers will dare to go online.

The Polish market moves in a very fast pace, which I had the chance to experience first hand at this month’s ecommerce standard conference in Warsaw, Poland. From the very beginning we have observed today’s mature eCommerce markets like Germany and UK, and likewise experienced the rise of the Polish market. The atmosphere of the conference would best be described as curious, as the eCommerce managers are hungry to benefit from the rising online market and therefore want to learn from others and see what is new.

Unlike Germany and UK, who’s main motivation for online purchase is convenience, the internet shopping by Polish people is driven by cost savings; especially when buying electronic devices. And the fact is that the online prices of the products are lower than those offered offline. This year was incredible important on eCommerce market in  this aspects – much more e-shops believe that customer care quality is more important than price.

Today Polish people spend about 7 billion PLN (just short of € 1.7 billion) in online shops, divided in the following sectors:

• 24%: Electronic Devices
• 11,4%: Cosmetics
• 10,1%: Films, Books and Games
• 7%: Furniture and Home Accessories
• 6,2%: Clothing and Shoes
• 3,8%: Food

We here at FACT-Finder have provided top of the market with our search and navigation solutions for Polish online retailers since the eCommerce started to take off. In the figure below you can see three of our big FACT-Finder Poland customers and the business they are in.

As I experienced on the eCommerce Standard Conference (and a thing our research points at) is the active stand the shop owners are taking in order to drive their business forward. They have realized the importance of emphasizing on the customer experience: Today the Pole might be especially price oriented, but we are pointing at a future transition into a more service oriented perspective. Poland is on the move, and you better keep track of it.