Summary – e-commerce in 2022

There is no doubt that the level of online shopping in Poland has stabilized at a very high level. The COVID-19 pandemic period significantly increased the turnover of e-commerce trade and the current year continues the good results of such activity. Poles have grown fond of online shopping and now 77 percent of people say they purchase goods this way. Why customers value online shopping and what aspects of it are most important, as well as what are the new trends and forecasts in e-commerce, you will learn from the following few paragraphs. E-commerce is the fastest-growing industry of commerce and it is worth learning its ins and outs before deciding to join the ranks of online sellers of goods and services.

Why do Poles value online shopping?

The popularity of online shopping is due to its several important advantages, which are mentioned in surveys by people who use this form of purchasing goods. Since time immemorial, virtually the most important factor attracting customers to the Internet has been the availability of stores non-stop 24/7. You want to shop when you happen to have a moment of free time, or immediately when the need for a new purchase has arisen – for example, some device has broken down or you have run out of printer paper or inks. It may be the middle of the night or a non-trading Sunday, you can shop online anytime and at any time. Not having to go to the store is just as important, it both saves you time, fuel and the stress of traffic jams, crowds and queues at the store. Not less and perhaps even more important, especially these days, is also the concern about the possibility of contracting various viruses in a stationary store. The third important consideration that climbed up the ranks this year is lower prices online than in stationary stores. The validity of this point has been, is, and will likely continue to be influenced for a long time to come by ever-increasing inflation and concerns about buyers’ liquidity. As many as 28 percent said they were buying less this year, while 14 percent said they were buying more, with the rest buying the same amount. Perhaps these are just declarations of sorts, as the level of purchases has not decreased.

Smartphones have caught up with computers

E-commerce in 2022 has largely become m-commerce, that is, commerce done via mobile devices. There is a steady increase in the percentage of people using smartphones for shopping. This is no longer just the domain of the youngest customer groups, and is becoming a trend in older age groups as well. As many as 75 percent of online shoppers used a smartphone to do so, followed by laptops at 73 percent and desktops only in third place with 41 percent. In the age group up to 24, the use of smartphones for shopping is even more common, which means that these devices will dominate among store users in future years. Using different devices in many situations is becoming natural, and commerce should adapt to this. There are still sites that scale poorly on smaller screens, and this is one of the problems often reported by those who prefer this way of shopping.

Polish or foreign suppliers – which do customers choose?

Polish consumers prefer to buy from Polish online stores. 77 percent of people say they buy from Poland, while only 32 percent buy from foreign sites. This is probably influenced by long delivery times and often the need to know a foreign language when using foreign sales platforms. This percentage split has not changed much in recent years and is unlikely to change significantly in the coming period either.

How to attract new customers to e-commerce?

What can attract new customers to store online at a particular store? Shoppers find the most encouraging things:

• price;
• low delivery costs;
• A positive experience with a particular store;
• promotions;
• parcel machine deliveries;
• free return option;

What do customers complain about most often?

The most annoying to customers is undoubtedly the long waiting time for delivery. Next on the list is the high cost of such shipment. Equally annoying, according to Internet users, is the constant bombardment of them with ads for products they have seen. This phenomenon can be very stressful for many people who have already made a choice and do not plan to buy the next such thing for a long time.

Why don’t some people use online shopping?

The reasons why some people do not want to use online shopping remain constant and include:

• No physical viewing and touching of the goods;
• Concerns about the security of the payment being made;
• Concerns about the operation of the equipment warranty;

The last two points especially concern older age groups of Internet users. However, these are concerns that can be skillfully alleviated by offering physical pick-up points where goods can be paid for or free returns can be made.

Are you worried about the ROPO effect?

The ROPO effect, or Research Online, Purchase Offline – search online, buy stationary – has declined relative to previous years and is likely to decline further. Building materials and home improvement sales are the most exposed to this effect, just ahead of footwear and pharmaceuticals. The reverse ROPO effect, i.e., viewing stationary and ordering the same goods online, is most popular for cosmetics and perfumes, as well as clothing and consumer electronics/appliances.

What were the best-selling online products in 2022?

Here, 2022 was no surprise. Clothing and accessories and accessories for it still top the shopping list. Footwear ranked second, followed closely by cosmetics and perfumes. Next on the list were books, music and movie CDs, pharmaceutical products and just behind them consumer electronics and household appliances. Clothing also reigns supreme among purchases made at foreign online stores shipping goods to Poland.

How much money do statistical customers spend online?

The statistical customer of online stores spends the most money on:

• clothing and accessories – PLN 213 per month;
• Groceries – PLN 213 per month;
• footwear – 172 zlotys per month;
• Children’s goods and toys – PLN 158 per month;
• Cosmetics and perfumes – 140 zloty per month;
• pharmaceutical products – 124 zlotys per month;
• Cinema and theater tickets – 76 zlotys per month;
• consumer electronics/appliances – PLN 1362 for 6 months;
• Phones and tablets – PLN 966 for 6 months;
• furniture and home furnishings – PLN 933 for 6 months;

Q-commerce – continued growth

Steady growth is being recorded in the q-commerce, or instant shopping, industry. In this version, purchases should reach the customer in just a few minutes after placing the order. In Poland, this is still a new service, but one that is steadily gaining new users. There are likely to be some changes in this industry, and they will include, among other things, the expansion of the offer from covering necessities also to clothing, footwear and perhaps some other goods. Therefore, there may be even more so-called dark stores on our streets, which are essentially small warehouses from which couriers on bicycles or scooters set off to quickly reach customers’ homes and apartments.

Sales multichanneling

Online shopping customers spend most of their time browsing social media – so it makes sense to reach out with your offer that way as well. Sales multichanneling is a necessary strategy today. In addition to your own online store, you should also reach customers where they are most, so you need to be active on channels such as Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, and have your products listed on platforms such as Allegro, Ebay or Shopee and appear in price comparison results. However, one’s own store should remain the main channel, as having it builds position, prestige and attaches the customer and builds trust in the seller with his own store.

Want to join e-commerce – use trusted companies

If you are planning to start an online sales business then you should use experienced companies offering Internet access services, cloud services, hosting, VPS servers, SSL certificates and many other essentials used in running your own sales via the web. Bet on proven service providers such as those offering symmetrical Internet access, for example, ITH, or those providing hosting and numerous cloud services, KRU. Start your online business with good partners that will provide you with the highest level of services provided. Security and stability of Internet services are extremely important. So it’s not worth taking a risk by using unproven services, which can result in problems with their operation and bad reception of failing services by our customers.