- The Central Statistical Office reported that in June 2024, compared to June 2023, there was a higher value of online retail sales at current prices (by 11.8%).
- Data from the Central Statistical Office show that among the presented groups with a significant share of sales via the Internet, an increase in share was reported by enterprises from the following groups: "textiles, clothing, footwear" (from 16.9% a year ago to 21.6%), "furniture, electronics , household appliances" (from 14.4% to 17.2%, respectively) and "press, books, other sales in specialized stores" (from 21.2% to 21.4%).
A slight slowdown in June
– Sales in June were slightly worse than the month before, which, however, is already a tradition due to the specificity of the calendar. However, a long-term view is important: comparing year to year, Polish online trade performed much better in June than a year earlier. The next months will show whether we are dealing with a permanent upward trend. What is particularly noteworthy is that we are observing a constant increase in the activity of Polish sellers on foreign markets. This is due to both the improving condition of Polish e-commerce and the greater ease of conducting cross-border sales – comments Łukasz Juśkiewicz, Head of Strategy at BaseLinker.
E-commerce is developing dynamically, despite seasonal fluctuations
The latest reading from the Central Statistical Office regarding the state of retail sales at the end of June shows that e-commerce continues to develop dynamically.
– Despite the seasonally lower online shopping activity of consumers, the results of the latest BaseLinker Index also confirm that Polish e-commerce, despite the holiday turmoil, is growing stronger. The value of the indicator in June was 133 points and although compared to May 2024 it is a decrease of almost 3.7%, compared to June last year it achieved an increase of as much as 12.6% and is getting stronger year by year. Therefore, it is not surprising that some entities decide to strengthen their presence in the e-commerce channel, often at the expense of closing stationary branches, as is the case with the well-known Kontigo drugstore chain. But Polish e-stores are expanding their operations not only in Poland. BaseLinker data shows that as part of foreign expansion, i.e. the so-called cross-border, they show even higher, double-digit growth dynamics (change of 15.8% y/y). This result confirms the growing interest of online stores in foreign sales and searching for new sales markets, which in the case of online trade are a particularly useful form of scaling sales – says Andrzej Szylar, Managing Partner at Unity Group.
Polish e-commerce shows strong growth, both domestically and internationally.
– Its potential in the region is also recognized by the largest players in the trade industry, who are increasing their investments here. This is evidenced by the recent decision of the German giant – in August, the Kaufland marketplace platform will enter the Polish online sales market, offering millions of products in almost 6.5 thousand. category. This is a throw at competitive marketplaces such as Allegro, Empik and Amazon, but also a new pro-development impulse for Polish e-commerce – adds the expert.
Polish e-commerce must increase digital accessibility
A slightly greater recovery in online sales should be expected in August and September, resulting from, among others, from the return of young people to schools.
The systematic increase in the share of e-commerce in retail sales encourages more entrepreneurs to open their own online stores – according to a study by Dun & Bradstreet Poland, almost 8,000 new e-stores were created in 2023, and in the first half of this year alone the number of online sellers increased by as many as 3.3 thousand .
– There is a lot of competition, and sales results in this area are determined by small differences, such as page loading speed, varied payment and delivery options, personalized product recommendations, or the ease of browsing the offer. The announcement of the implementation of new regulations by the Polish government regarding the use of unfair practices by Chinese e-commerce giants such as Aliexpress, Temu and Shein has a chance to further increase the competitiveness of its own online sales channels – explains Tadeusz Rolski, Business Development Manager at Ambiscale.
However, e-commerce store owners face many challenges.
– In addition to growing competition and increasing consumer needs, they should also pay attention to legal requirements. Already next year, EU Directive 2019/882 will enter into force, obliging every company providing services in the EU (except those employing less than 10 employees and having a global turnover of less than EUR 2 million) to meet WCAG digital accessibility standards. In practice, this means that all large retail chains will be forced to adapt to the new regulations, and this is important not only because of legal requirements. According to a Fable study, 24% of disabled people shop online at least once a week. Taking into account that approximately 14% of Polish women and men are disabled, they constitute an important group of recipients that should be included in your sales and marketing strategy – sums up the expert.
