What you should know about selling online in Poland

Every country in Europe has its own set of things you should take into account when selling online over there. This is of course also the case for Poland, one of Europe’s fastest-growing ecommerce markets. Here’s what you should know about running an ecommerce site in Poland.

In terms of ecommerce, Poland is really a country you will probably hear more about in the upcoming years. The country has a strong economy and the growing ecommerce industry still has a lot of potential.

Poland ready for ecommerce growth
With a population of over 38 million people, Poland is the sixth most populous EU country. It has about 25 million Internet users, which corresponds with 65% of the total population having access to the Internet. Not very high if you compare it to the European average of 76.5%, but it’s still higher than the penetration in countries like Italy (58.5%), Portugal (62.1%) or Romania (49.8%). Read more info about Poland here.

But when we look at ecommerce turnover numbers, Poland is one of the leading countries in Central Europe, after Germany, Austria and Switzerland. And with an estimated 30% of the Polish population shopping online (higher percentages than in countries as Italy or Spain!) and a projected growth of 20-25% over the next two years to 11 billion euros by 2016, we get why ecommerce companies could be interested in selling online in Poland.

Tips for selling online in Poland

But if you want to sell online in Poland, there are some things you should take in account, as Rafael Moucka, founder and CEO of Polish ecommerce software provider Positive Power, wrote for Internet Retailer.

1. Virtual payment methods are popular in Poland
Polish online consumers are for example very fond of (local) online payment systems. The most popular online payment method in Poland is PayU, followed by PayPal. And then there’s also Przelewy24, Dotpay and Transferuj. About four in ten Polish e-shoppers use virtual payment methods, especially the people between 24 and 35 years old (46%).

2. Group-buying sites are getting less popular
Based on information from Gemius, Moucka states that group-buying sites aren’t that popular anymore in Poland. Today only 12% of online shoppers in Poland shop on those sites, while this percentage was 55% only two years ago.

3. Poles love to research online and buy in-store
Researching online and then purchasing offline (sometimes called “ROPO“) is still popular in Poland, especially among women. One in five shoppers (21%) research their products on the Internet, but always but them in a physical store.

4. Electronics and clothing popular in Polish ecommerce
Two-thirds of Polish internet users shopped for electronics online this year, according to a study from Gemius. But the clothing category is currently booming, Moucka states. “At the bottom of the list of items Poles are willing to buy online are food, insurance and luxury products.”

5. The price is an important factor for Polish e-shoppers
When you ask Polish online consumers what they think is the most important thing when shopping online, 47% will give “price” as an answer. Especially during the holiday season, Poles look online for low prices. Other important factors are the convenience of purchasing and delivery times (45%) and available assortment (43%).