Poland, e-commerce and logistics
With a young industry that is growing fast, Poland is an attractive market for the development of e-commerce.
Read on to find out why you should trade there and how.
Why Poland?
With the increasing popularity of e-commerce and its revenue growth, Poland is one of the fastest-developing e-commerce markets in Europe and it is expected to grow in even further in the coming years. According to PMR Online Retail Market, e-commerce reached a total value of $22 billion in 2023.
Polish customers love to buy online and do it more often. According to the Polish Statistics Off ice, 93.3 percent of all households had internet access in 2022. The latest data also shows that the number of Polish internet users who buy in international shops has been increasing yearly. Users mostly look for products that can be purchased at better prices or unavailable on the Polish market.1
The main drivers for online shopping remain unchanged: 24/7 access, convenient payment and delivery options, and returns. In addition to increased interest in e-commerce due to the Covid pandemic, online shops continue to benefit from Poland’s retail shopping being severely restricted on Sundays. The peak of online shopping is in November and December for the Christmas holiday.
The most active group of online buyers reside in large cities or villages and are 29-49 years old. According to the PayPay eCommerce Index 2022 Report, 38% of millennial's (26-41 years old) buy products online a few times per week.2
- 369K
- Number of retail stores in Poland in 2023
- 20.5 billion USD
- E- commerce revenue forecast for 2029
- 66k
- Number of e- commerce stores in Poland in 2023
The e-commerce landscape
By 2026, e-commerce is expected to account for 20% of all retail sales in Poland. High inflation related to the war in Ukraine has had a direct influence on consumers behaviour according to an e-commerce report made by Gemius in 2022. The business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce segment also has experienced dynamic growth and reached $90 billion in 2022. In Poland, 84% of companies sell online.3
Poles mainly purchase online clothing and accessories (79percent), shoes (66 percent), and cosmetics and perfumes (65 percent). Their preferred payment methods are fast transfer through payment services, including PayU/BlueMedia, the mobile BLIK payments, credit card, and bank transfer, according to Gemius.
The trend to establish omnichannel rapidly accelerated during the pandemic in an attempt to increase customer loyalty. A common practice is to combine sales through online stores, marketplaces, and on social media, especially Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
E-commerce providers constantly enhance customer service, developing a personalised approach to customers, often with the use of AI solutions, and focus on improving and streamlining product delivery options.
Opportunities
More than 70 % of Polish buyers use price-comparison services, such as Ceneo, owned by Allegro. Most buyers usually cross-search offers in marketplaces, shops and on social media before making a purchase. Polish buyers are very price sensitive and increasingly use the ‘buy now, pay later’ option.
The average Polish consumer spends $370 online per month, close to the EU average ($373). International online shopping currently accounts for 30 percent of all transactions and continues to grow. Poles mostly look for products unavailable locally or which can be bought at better prices online.4
Overseas e-commerce usage in Poland between 2015 and 2023
Logistics
Delivery preferences within Poland are parcel lockers, which are the cheapest delivery option, and courier services. In addition to parcel lockers, e-commerce platforms often offer drop off/ pick-up parcel services at shops and retail stores.
You can familiarise yourself with the weights and prices of sending a package to Poland using our helpful shipping rates chart .
Keep in mind
The VAT e-commerce package for online sales of goods and services entered into force on July 1, 2021, tightening the tax system. It eliminated the VAT and custom duty exemption for shipments valued below €22 and introduced the Import One Stop Shop (IOSS) procedure for processing VAT payments for packages not exceeding €150 in value. Non-EU sellers, including e-commerce platforms acting as intermediaries, are now responsible for collecting VAT and reporting it to EU authorities. This can be done by the established entity in the EU or through appointing a representative responsible for VAT processing in any EU country. For sales exceeding €10,000 to non-VAT registered EU buyers, the seller must collect VAT for all deliveries to EU countries.
What our experts say:
“The outlook for the Polish e-commerce market is very optimistic. The increasing number of internet users, the variety of delivery methods, and increasing usage of smartphones in online shopping are huge driving factors.”
Ben Bagnulo, CEO, SAMOS.