Media consumption 2023-01-04

#GemiusExperts: 2022 summary and forecasts for 2023

Gemius Poland Expert, Sylwester Kubiak - Sales Manager of the Publishers Team in the comments for Wirtualnemedia.pl summarized 2022 and forecast what awaits the industry in 2023.

You can read whole article in Polish on wirtualnemedia.pl HERE.

Events of the year

Unfortunately, the year 2022 was marked by war beyond our eastern border and inflation unprecedented for many years. And yet, Polish e-commerce is doing great and there are no signs of slowing it down. Contrary to press reports prophesying armageddon and crisis in 2023, I say no, nothing like that will happen. In Poland, the number of online stores and companies selling via e-commerce platforms remains stable. Revenues are still similar to those generated by e-commerce in European Union countries. The trend from previous years continues, more and more people are switching to online shopping and this phenomenon cannot be stopped. In the future, stationary stores will be treated as places where you can see and touch products. I expect that the value of the Polish e-commerce sector will continue to grow next year.

Failure / disappointment / crisis of the year

Personally, I am disappointed with the Shopee campaign. Implemented on a large scale, in my opinion, it achieved an effect inadequate to the probably invested budget. The cards on the market are still dealt by the biggest players. In my opinion, Modivo.pl clothing platform, belonging to the CCC group, strongly strengthens its position. I was also counting on a greater involvement in the market of the Chinese giant AliExpress, which - I think - did not happen. In Polish e-commerce, the palm of precedence is still held by native players, and giants from Asia have not dominated the market so far.

Premiere of the year

An unattended checkout system is increasingly used in large-area and discount stores. The Internet deprives traditional branches of customers, so they are often unable to estimate the traffic they can expect. In addition, investment in this type of equipment reduces the number of employees, which in the long run translates into savings in wages. Another phenomenon I want to draw attention to is live shopping. The mechanism that we have known for years from "TV stores", consisting of product presentation and immediate sale, has become well established in the online space.

Trend of the year

Green consumerism, i.e. a form of consumption that takes into account sustainable development and pro-ecological consumer behavior. This is the effect of the increasingly audible voice of young people who without complexes require, or even demand from the mighty of this world to change the behavior of entire economy ecosystems in such a way as to protect the natural environment.

AI and machine learning - consistently, as in previous years, it is a direction that very quickly appropriates areas previously served by people. How much time separates us from the moment when we go even further from a machine that makes us a hot dog or talking to an automatic assistant?

Forecast for 2023

Analyzing a number of factors, both positive and negative, I do not think that the next year will be a crisis for e-commerce, but much depends on the government and the decisions they make. We are entering an election year and this… obliges. Forecasts for online trading are optimistic again. The market is going up. Of course, a lot will depend on the owners of e-commerce businesses themselves. It is their openness to changes, willingness to adapt to consumer expectations, but also their escape to the front, that will simply make them survive. The consumer's sense of security, along with the speed of delivery and its trouble-free delivery, will be more important than the price.