Poland: 5,500 new online stores in first half year

During the first half of this year, about 5,500 new online stores were registered in Poland. At the same time 2,000 got shut down. But some think the recent boom in ecommerce, due to the pandemic, won’t last long.

Consumption in Poland is booming. In June, retail sales increased by 8.4 percent month on month. But consumers buy mainly in physical stores, a trend that was changed during the lockdown. “Consumers return to the old paths. They have stopped shopping for food and pharmaceuticals online, but it’s worth emphasizing that these are already relatively weak categories in total sales”, economy expert Sonia Buchholtz says.

However, the most popular categories online are returning to the levels of 2019. “Hence, we conclude that the pandemic has not significantly changed the Poles’ shopping habits”, Buchholtz claims.

Polish ecommerce accounts for 10% of total retail

The Central Statistical Office in Poland says the share of ecommerce in total retail has decreased by 7.7 percent in June (compared to May). It seems that the share of ecommerce in total sales has permanently reached the 10 percent mark, although in February it was 5.6 percent.

It’s predicted that ecommerce in Poland will grow by over 30 percent and even exceed the 100 billion złoty mark this year. This means that ecommerce in Poland could be worth over 22.73 billion euros in 2020.

Ecommerce in Poland could be worth over 22.73 billion euros in 2020.

The decreasing number of physical stores in Poland has been visible for years. In the first half of this year there were 257,000 stores. In 2009 however, this number was much higher. Back then, there were over 371,000 stores across the Eastern European country.

Change in consumer behavior

In recent years, the trend has somewhat slowed down, but still, many retailers selling clothes and textiles, electronics or books are closing their doors. In these sectors, especially in recent months, there has been a definite shift towards ecommerce, as most brick-and-mortar stores closed in March and April, due to the outbreak of Covid-19. However, the forced pandemic situation has resulted in a changed consumer behavior that persist and will continue to accelerate.

There has been a definite shift towards ecommerce.