For several years, the Polish e-commerce market has been defined through the prism of continuous development. In 2018, a record result of over PLN 50 billion was recorded, a year later – as indicated in the PMR report – over PLN 61 billion. The forecasts for the coming years are even more spectacular: estimated revenues are to amount to as much as PLN 80 billion. In 2018, the increase in the popularity of online shopping was influenced by the reduction of commercial Sundays, some consumers dissatisfied with this decision chose online stores, where they can place orders without restrictions, around the clock. The coronavirus pandemic will change much more.
Online transactions take over
Until a dozen or so years ago, online transactions accounted for a small percentage of consumer choices. From year to year, however, online shopping gained more and more importance to finally become one of the most important areas of trade. In 2019, more than half of Poles made at least one online purchase, while data from the Gemius report “E-commerce in Poland 2020” indicate that 73% of Internet users will benefit from online shopping. The analysis contains information that allows you to create a portrait of a model recipient based on data such as gender, age and education of consumers. Thus, there was a slight advantage of women (51%), it was found that people aged 35-49 (32%) and high school graduates (40%) most often decide to buy online. The “Global E-commerce 2020” report clearly indicates that the world’s highest increase in e-commerce sales in 2020 (21.5%) was recorded in Central and Eastern Europe. It is assumed that this value will be even higher in our country.
More and more e-shops
Stationary stores are increasingly moving to the Internet, and those that have been online for a long time, expand their offer, putting emphasis on improving communication with customers. Symptomatically: the number of stores offering groceries is increasing, so there is a clear revival in the segment so far the least popular in the area of online sales. According to PMR estimates, the share of e-commerce in the food market will increase to 0.7%. A noticeable trend is also the creation of e-stores offering food products to local customers. These products are usually recommended not only fresh, but also ecological, which meets the tastes of those interested in healthy food and often wealthier consumers. As indicated by the Shoper report, which presents data on domestic online stores operating on the Shoper.pl platform, a large increase in sales was recorded in the industry offering cosmetics and supplements, followed by electronics stores and articles for children.
Forecasts
While anticipating a further increase in the popularity of the e-commerce market, the extraordinary circumstances that arose with the coronavirus pandemic were of course not taken into account. The ability to make purchases without leaving your home, and thus without the risk of contracting an infection, is a priority for many people. The e-commerce market, in constant pursuit of customer needs, will strive to maximize the simplification of online purchases, shorten delivery times and minimize their costs, and finally to implement subscription models that integrate the customer with the brand, preventing the customer from choosing taking advantage of competitive offers. The expectations of consumers are also important, as they wish the transaction to meet all security standards (also with regard to the protection of personal data) and that the possibility of returning the goods should not be subject to any restrictions. It is worth remembering that despite the spectacular growth of the e-commerce market, some consumers are still unconvinced about this form of purchasing goods. They say that the main reason for this is the lack of physical contact with the item, which may result in an unsuccessful purchase. It is very likely, however, that attractive prices for products purchased online, as well as increased security of supply and the most consumer-friendly return policy possible, could induce skeptics to buy online.
