After the pandemic ends, almost 85% of Poles do not intend to reduce the frequency of e-shopping, and 82% will spend the same or more online this year compared to 2020, according to a report by PwC and Digital Experts Club “Strategies that win. E-commerce leaders on the development of e-commerce.” In turn, 43% of Poles intend to spend more on online shopping in 2021 than in the previous year.
Between 2019 and 2020, online sales of goods in Poland increased by 35%. In 2020, the online channel achieved a 14% share in the value of retail sales, and the average annual growth of e-commerce in the following years will be at the level of 12%, it was reported.
“The pandemic and accelerated digitization have completely changed the image of the consumer and trade. The last few months have been primarily thousands of tests and innovations of companies fighting for customers. Market leaders have redefined both commercial activities and the course of key processes, as a result gaining valuable knowledge about how to redefine planning a business. A new era of e-commerce is ahead of us, where values are completely different than before. In order to maintain or gain a competitive advantage, companies will have to demonstrate great flexibility and redefine old habits,” according to PwC partner, leader of the revenue management team at region of Central and Eastern Europe Maciej Kroenke.
The data and analyzes collected in the report show that between 2019 and 2020, online sales of goods in Poland increased by 35%, which indicates a significant increase in the group of consumers using the online form of shopping. In 2020, the online channel achieved a 14% share in the value of retail sales in Poland. In the coming years, the value of the e-commerce market will systematically grow thanks to the sustained increase in the number of users and the increasing value of expenses. PwC experts expect an average annual growth of the e-commerce market of 12%, it was also pointed out.
The survey carried out in the first quarter of 2021 shows that almost 85% of Poles, even after the end of the pandemic, do not intend to reduce the frequency of e-shopping. After the end of the pandemic, over 74% of respondents will keep them at a similar level, and 10% intend to further increase. Apart from the increase in the frequency of e-shopping, consumers also declare an increase in online spending. Almost 82% of Poles say that they will spend the same or more on e-shopping in 2021 compared to 2020. Over 23% intend to slightly increase these expenses, and 20% intend to increase them by over 1/5 compared to the previous year.
The study also shows that the size of the city does not affect the frequency of online shopping – Poles most often buy online two or three times a month (36%), regardless of where they live.
When choosing an online retailer, the price remains the key factor (68%). There are, however, significant differences between the age groups of consumers. For customers aged 18-24, the guaranteed speed of delivery and the number of delivery options offered are definitely more important than for the rest of the population. For the group of 55+ clients, this factor is no longer so important. Young people are much more often guided by the seller’s ratings by other buyers – this is important for 49% of respondents aged 18-24 and for 32% of respondents in the 55+ group, stated in the report.
“Over the past year, we have become used to questioning the status quo. Many industries have had to rebuild their strategy and adapt it to new conditions. The entire market has entered an agile learning phase, a phase of testing and rapid evaluation. We are witnessing accelerated decisions on, for example, strategic investments in technologies, about entering the D2C model, about testing new business models. Contrary to appearances, challenges are a stimulus to look for new solutions, and this contributes to development “- emphasized Tomasz Lis, co-founder of Digital Experts Club.
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the process of digitization of consumers and changed their current habits. Online shopping was started by people who had not used e-commerce sporadically or at all. Therefore, companies focused on improving Customer Experience and developing omnichannel processes. They changed the way of communicating with consumers or key channels of reaching (e.g. the current channels gained new roles, new ways of reaching were developed and inter-channel processes were improved). This has translated into the creation of a holistic and coherent experience, independent of the chosen sales channel, summed up.
The report was prepared by the PwC Polska Strategy & Operations team in cooperation with experts from the Digital Experts Club. 26 interviews were conducted with e-commerce leaders from four sectors: retail, consumer goods production, banking and services.
Source: PwC and ISBnews
