E-commerce in Poland: What the Numbers Reveal

The latest edition of the report “Omnicommerce. Shopping Conveniently,” in collaboration with PayU GPO, gives useful information into how Poles shop online and analyzes major trends in this industry. We are grateful to the Chamber of Digital Economy for inviting us to contribute to this publication. 

 

Commentary from Joanna Pieńkowska-Olczak, CEO of PayU GPO for Central and Eastern Europe: 

 

With 30 million internet users, Poland is a substantial consumer market that is increasingly embracing online purchasing. The survey indicates that 37% of e-store customers report making five or more online purchases per month, which represents a 9% percentage point increase from the same survey in 2023. This trend provides online retailers with a sense of optimism for the future. 

 

Despite the fact that the growth rate has decreased in comparison to the pandemic period, there is still a significant amount of potential for e-commerce in Poland. There are numerous opportunities to increase online sales revenue, including the expansion of cross-border sales and the enhancement of the overall shopping experience. This can be achieved by ensuring the broad availability of online payment options, leveraging artificial intelligence, and supporting mobile purchases.  

 

At PayU GPO, we support merchants with their growth strategy and sales conversion. We frequently collaborate with our partners to streamline the payment process, guaranteeing that consumers can make payments in a secure, rapid, and seamless manner. The implementation of one-click payments is a current trend in the payment industry. This method involves saving card details after the initial transaction, which allows for subsequent payments to be made with a single click. Retailers are increasingly utilizing this solution, which we offer, as a result of its convenience, safety, and simplicity of use on any device.

 

An additional trend is the use of various types of deferred payments. 54% of internet users are aware of the deferred payment option, and 85% of this group, or 46% of internet users, have reported that they are currently using this form of payment. Online installment plans are prevalent in certain categories, particularly for high-value transactions, similar to deferred payments. The specifications are essential in this case—installment payments or BNPL (Buy Now, Pay Later) must be configured to increase sales. Merchants receive enthusiastic assistance from the PayU team in these endeavors. Furthermore, we provide online retailers with a unique credit platform that enables them to select from a variety of installment offers from both banks and non-bank providers, as well as a variety of “buy now, pay later” solutions. 

 

In addition, payments are essential for the generation of additional revenue from international transactions (cross-border e-commerce). The platform of PayU GPO consolidates all aspects of payment processing across multiple markets, including the capability to pay in local currencies, in a single place. This enables merchants to provide payment options that are suitable for every customer. Cross-border e-commerce is expected to experience a greater increase in value than domestic e-commerce, making it worthwhile to explore. We have collaborated with both large brands and small e-shops that are involved in international sales for many years, and we have observed the success of Polish stores establishing themselves in the cross-border space. 

 

I would also like to note the growing category of e-grocery, or online grocery shopping, when discussing the growth prospects for the e-commerce industry.

 

The “Omnicommerce. Shopping Conveniently” report indicates that 48% of internet users say making grocery purchases online. This category comprises nearly half of Poland’s total retail sales value; therefore, even a modest transition to online platforms can have an important impact on the entire e-commerce sector. Biedronka is a recent entrant in this market operating a new e-grocery store. PayU GPO offers a variety of convenient online payment alternatives for this site. The e-grocery category will undoubtedly experience additional growth as a result of the emerging trend of “quick commerce” (q-commerce). 

A selection of data points regarding e-commerce in Poland: 

 

• Currently, 87% of respondents (+2 percentage points) reported making an online purchase within the past six months (January – June 2024), while 100% have made an online purchase at some point. 

 

• 48% of respondents report making grocery purchases online, and 47% say they have increased their online grocery shopping in the last year. 

 

• 36% of respondents are shopping online more frequently due to inflation. 

 

• Respondents see several advantages to using mobile apps for shopping, including faster operation than e- and m-stores in browsers (25%, +8 percentage points), faster and simpler payments (22%, +3 percentage points), security (14%, -4 percentage points), and additional functionalities (16%, -1 percentage point).  

 

• Seven out of ten consumers admit to abandoning their online shopping basket, however for mobile shoppers, this figure is substantially lower (42% vs. 68%).  

 

• BLIK is considered as the most convenient online and mobile payment method (34%, +5 percentage points), followed by fast transfers (28%, +5 percentage points), and payments made using banking apps. 

 

• BLIK remains the most convenient for mobile shoppers, however its lead has decreased to 21%, down from 38% in 2023 

 

• 44% of consumers expect e-stores to respond to their questions or issues within 1-3 hours, while 9% expect a response in less than 15 minutes, representing a 2-point reduction. The most prevalent communication channels are phone/voicebots and website widgets.