Asendia’s Felix Krause on the developing Polish e-commerce market

As the sixth-largest economy in Europe, Poland's economy has undergone a huge transformation since the fall of the Soviet Union. 

In the past decades Poland has managed to see its digital infrastructure leapfrog those of more developed economies and, as a result, sees desktop accounting for just 50% of online use. Yet 48.9% is smartphone traffic, showing that the country is very much at the forefront of mobile use, growing from some €65m in 2011 to more than €1.1bn in 2018.

Asendia Key Account Manager, and expert in Eastern Europe e-commerce, Felix Krause, shared his insights on the polish market in an interview with RetailX. 

Q&A with Felix Krause

KEY ACCOUNT MANAGER, ASENDIA CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

1) In terms of market size, what trends have you observed in Polish e-commerce?

Polish e-commerce has nearly doubled its turnover between 2016 and 2019. As it has all over the world, the pandemic has affected Polish businesses hugely, although, from an e-commerce
perspective, not all these effects are negative. Indeed, many Polish e-commerce sectors have flourished during the lockdowns. With a population of 40m, Poland is set to become a more and more important e-commerce market on the global stage.

2) In your opinion, what has been the biggest e-commerce development of recent times?

Without a doubt, Covid-19 has had a huge impact on e-commerce, both in Poland and globally. From an organisational and logistical point of view, the global pandemic created many challenges. Yet e-commerce firms have now worked out how to manage these challenges and, because of lockdowns and fears of viral transmission, e-tailers are now benefitting from a huge boost to online shopping. While there will be some reversion to shopping in brick and mortar stores in the future, Covid-19 has considerably sped up the adoption of e-commerce.

3) 52% of Polish customers prefer to collect their purchase in Paczkomat parcel lockers. Will the popularity of this method continue to surge?

In several other regions, including the Baltics, you can see the same trend emerging. With so many people currently working from home, I don’t see any further short-term shift in that direction. I am sure it will remain a strong and interesting option in the future, however.

Still curious? For a comprehensive yet concise look at e-commerce trends in Poland, and to read the rest of Felix’s interview, download the Poland 2020: E-commerce Country Report by RetailX in partnership with Asendia.