The ‘E-commerce in Poland 2016. Gemius for e-Commerce Polska’ report confirms that one in four e-consumers are planning to increase their expenditures on online shopping. Men are more optimistic here, declaring an increase in this amount more often than women. Just 6 per cent of those who shop online are planning to reduce their online shopping expenditures over the coming year.

‘The increase in online spending by Poles is completely natural, and there are a number of reasons behind it,’ says Marek Molicki, a Gemius expert. ‘E-commerce is becoming a much more common and natural way of shopping. On the one hand, we are more trusting of both the stores and the payment systems; while on the other, this kind of shopping has become the most convenient way to buy things for many Poles; allowing them to save time – and very often money as well. A considerable proportion of those people who shop online are our youngest customers – people aged 15–24. Online shopping for them is as natural as buying a paper at a kiosk for a 40-year-old. It’s my guess that many customers buy exactly the same things, for the same prices as before – the only difference is that they buy online now rather than in traditional stores. It is also worth mentioning that marketers are increasingly willing to use various services and tools to optimise conversion rates – and they are very good at it. The ability to analyse data and draw the right conclusions allows them to increase the basket value, not only for the first purchase, but also for future purchases that customers have been motivated to make. There’s still plenty that marketers can do here, and I have no doubt that, for example, the effective combination of cookies and data from CRM, with the ability to send the relevant findings to call centres in real time, can in some cases increase sales significantly. This will result in Poles spending even more in online stores. This is only one example – the possibilities are endless,’ adds Molicki.

‘The results of the “E-commerce in Poland 2016. Gemius for e-Commerce Polska” report clearly point to a few phenomena,’ says Prof. Grzegorz Mazurek of Kozminski University. ‘Firstly, consumers are becoming even more demanding when it comes to what’s on offer online – they expect lower prices and a wide variety. Secondly, it confirms the fact that, contrary to appearances, clothes and accessories are an extremely important category of products that sell well over the Internet. The minor deviations in the expenditures declared for the online channel do not seem to interfere with the general trend indicating that online shopping is becoming commonplace for a huge number of Poles. This is good, as long as companies appreciate it and make the most of the opportunities offered by e-commerce,’ adds Mazurek.

More on fashion, less on mobile devices

E-consumers are spending more on fashion-related products than a year ago. Poles spend an average of PLN 83 per month on clothes and accessories, which is PLN 8 more than what was declared last year. For five out of six of the most popular categories of products purchased online (mobile devices, multimedia, cinema and theatre tickets, shoes, and electronic and household appliances), those surveyed declared a lower monthly expenditure than last year. The greatest decrease in declared monthly expenditure – PLN 8 – was recorded in the mobile devices category.

What do we buy online, and how much do we spend?

The purchase of shoes online accounts for an average monthly expenditure of PLN 77. Women spend more per month than men on books, CDs and films – PLN 41 and PLN 33, respectively. According to the amounts, this product category is also the domain of people over 24 years old. Cinema and theatre tickets account for a monthly expenditure of PLN 36. There is also a clear predominance in the declared amount spent on this product by the oldest group surveyed (50+) compared to the younger respondents.

‘The fact that one in four consumers declares an increase in expenditures on online shopping confirms that Poles are increasingly valuing and coming round to this way of shopping. Online shopping is not only more convenient – it allows a bigger choice, speedy product comparison, and above all it can be done at any time of day,’ explains Patrycja Sass-Staniszewska from the Chamber of Digital Economy (eCommerce Polska).

More information can be found in the ‘E-commerce in Poland 2016. Gemius for e-Commerce Polska’ report.
The report is sponsored by the Ministry of Development.