Key strategies and challenges. Recognition is not enough
Despite the high recognition of the Kaufland brand, branding alone is not enough to achieve success in Polish e-commerce. Compared to its competitors, the German chain records a lower number of monthly visits to its website (1.2 million), compared to 10.5 million for Lidl and 7 million for Biedronka.
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A large chain also wants to have its own e-platform. Starting soon
– This shows that Kaufland is facing a key challenge in terms of acquiring online traffic, the acquisition of which will be of fundamental importance for the potential success of the company's marketplace. Kaufland seems to understand these challenges and adapt its platform implementation strategy accordingly. Investments in Polish customer service and advanced logistics options such as Fulfillment by Kaufland are steps in the right direction. These activities can significantly improve the experience of users and sellers, which is necessary in the context of strong competition on the market – emphasizes Emil Waszkowski, Head of Strategy at Future Mind.
The brand's strategy also includes activities to encourage potential sellers to cooperate. Currently, Kaufland offers them free activity in the marketplace for the first 3 months, as well as a budget for advertising, which is an attractive offer to start with. The key question remains whether in the long term the platform will be able to maintain the interest of business partners in terms of sales volume and commission levels.
Mobile marketplace and the future of the market
Integration of the marketplace with the Polish version of the Kaufland mobile application is another necessary, strategic move that will undoubtedly contribute to increasing user engagement.
– First of all, it will provide the brand with a channel for direct communication of the new offer with the customer base using the company's application. In turn, from the point of view of consumers who prefer shopping via mobile devices, access to the assortment via smartphone may effectively attract them to the Kaufland.pl platform. The ultimate success of the Kaufland marketplace will depend primarily on the ability to acquire users and provide them with a high-quality shopping experience. Competition on the Polish e-commerce market is huge, and standing out with a unique offer will be extremely difficult. Kaufland must therefore focus on innovative logistics solutions, attractive conditions for sellers and an effective marketing strategy – says the Future Mind expert.
Competition may contribute to the further development and dynamism of the Polish e-commerce market.
Shoper on the development of a competitive market
. Kaufland's marketplace will enable the sale of products to the German market from 2021, and from 2023 also to the Czech and Slovak markets. The German website itself is visited by 32 million users per month.
– Competition between sales platforms stimulates innovation, and Kaufland's expansion into the Polish and Austrian markets will bring many benefits to both sellers and new development opportunities for the Shoper Group. Multi-channel is an important element of our ecosystem, because thanks to it we can expand our support and services tailored to the specificity of new markets and, above all, the needs of our customers – comments Dariusz Kowalski, business development director of the Shoper Group
Shoper customers are already using the potential of the Kaufland marketplace – selling their products on the German, Czech and Slovak markets. As Shoper representatives point out, this is a significant channel for obtaining new sales for online store owners.
– Over 100 of our sellers are already reaching new customers with the help of German, Czech and Slovak Kaufland. Therefore, I hope that this platform will also work well on our market and in Austria. The Kaufland brand is already known in Poland, which should make it easier to acquire new customers compared to less known marketplace platforms – says Maja Adamus – Team Leader Marketplace Shoper
– Sellers will gain access to over 81 million potential customers – in a total of five countries. Kaufland, thanks to its established position and extensive infrastructure, may become a serious competitor to current leaders, such as Allegro in Poland or Amazon in Austria. That is why we are already preparing our sellers' offers so that they are ready for introduction to both the Polish and Austrian markets. A wider selection of sales platforms leads to more competitive partnership conditions – comments Michał Dyrszka, Head of Selium at Shoper.
