Online Shopping Industry Growing Throughout Poland
Online stores in Poland no longer cater only for customers interested in books and CDs. Today buying a washing machine online or ordering products to decorate your home’s interior is as easy as purchasing limited vinyl on eBay.
There are approximately 3,000 online shops in Poland. Some 440 of them sell home wares and interior decorations including furniture, bathroom fixtures and lighting. Statistics gathered by www.Skelpy24.pl show there are twice as many online home supply stores than there are online multimedia or book shops.
It appears Poles have become comfortable shopping online.
According to Rzeczpospolita the consumer has less security concerns and is much more prepared to purchase more expensive items.
There is also an increase in online clothing shops. Comparatively there is the same number of online clothing shops as there are computer and video gaming stores on the Polish online market. Until recently purchasing clothes online was considered difficult but consumers are beginning to appreciate the convenience. In the U.S. clothes purchased online totalled $13.3 bln, while the computer online shops brought in $17.2 bln. The trend in Poland is not as developed but is growing steadily. Clothing online store in Poland amount to 300.
The demographic which makes purchases online is also changing. Initially being a young buyers’ market the online sale industry is reaching to other less experienced internet users.
The SeniorSklep.pl (Senior Shop) online shop is the first on the market to specialize in products for people over the age of 50.
The least popular online shopping sector is food.
There are only 80 online shops in Poland, considerably less than in Western Europe or in the U.S. Cheaper prices are not its draw card. What attracts these e-customers is the convenience of not having to visit a supermarket.
With the easy access of small stores, corner shops, delicatessens and fruit and vegetable vendors strewn across the country, Poles have little to complain about when it comes to convenience.
The most popular online shops in Poland include www.merlin.pl, www.agito.pl, www.empki.com and all are widening their range of products.
Merlin, traditionally an online CD and book shop, wants to become an online shopping center. It has already expanded its product range to include cosmetics, home wares and tools.
It is estimated online sales in Poland will increase by 1 bln zloty this year alone. The figures for last year show sales worth 4.5 to 5 bln złoty.