The increase in income in Poland is still below the EU average. However, by 2022, it will be over 15 percent higher than the European average. Polish unemployment (currently amounting to 4.4 percent) is lower than the EU average. Low unemployment is an increase in wages and an increase in consumption. Thanks to this, the Polish customer is becoming more and more similar to the German customer. This means more spending on services, entertainment, recreation, culture, health, and communication.1
What is the Polish consumer guided by?
The Polish consumer makes his purchases rationally and what plays a key role in the product selection process is its price. According to the Nielsen research agency, they are not loyal to one retailer and change stores to find the best offers. 2
The report “Market diversity in the times of the new consumer” made by the MAM platform explain that Poles start to put the price on an equal footing with the quality of products or services. Both of these factors have the same value for 82% of buyers. The variety of assortment (80% of responses) and corporate social responsibility (50% of indications) are also more and more important for them, as well as whether the store is friendly for mothers with children and disabled people (57% of indications).3
Chart 1
Benchmark: benchmark1
Title:
What factors can make Poles pay more in the store than in the competition?
Selected data:
assortment not available anywhere else – 57 %
high quality products – 45%
convenient location – 26%
knowledge of the seller -16%
the possibility of shopping with home delivery – 16%
high quality customer service – 16%
trust – 14%
opinion of others – 12%
personalized offer – 10%
loyalty – 9%
knowledge of the seller -8%
the ability to order online with collection in the store – 7%
social business responsibility – 5%
Women or men?
According to the study of the MarketingKobiet.pl website, the importance of women is growing. Polish women decide on the purchase of groceries (87.7%), or cleaning products (81.1%), men choose cars and domestic electrical appliances (84.2%). In the case of financial products, the borders are blurred, although still, men are making final decisions in this area. Research shows that Polish women are more demanding clients than men.
However, comparing to men, Polish women spend less time gathering information about the product they want to buy. They are also less loyal to the brand.4 Polish women begin to take over the role of the head of the family and they often make decisions about their home budget. 91% of women make key decisions about home investments.
Almost half of Polish Internet users shop online. The number of people buying online increases systematically from year to year. More and more traditional stores are launching their own online stores. According to the research of Kantar TNS Institute, the estimated value of the e-commerce market in Poland will exceed PLN 70 billion in 2020. 5 However, now, the value of e-commerce in Poland is still stable at only 3% of total trade. 6
E-commerce or traditional shopping?
E-commerce websites are dominated by women. E-stores and price comparison websites use 4.5 million women a day on average. In the case of men, the average is 3.9 million. 7
What do Poles spend most on?
In 2018, Polish e-consumers spent the most on clothing, shoes, books, and entertainment. In all categories, it was more than a year before. Respondents also indicated higher spending on electronic equipment and mobile devices. 8
Picture
Benchmark: benchmark 2
Title: Average monthly expanses of Poles
Selected data:
Clothing and accessories – PLN 224
Books, albums, films – PLN 99
Cinema and theatre tickets – PLN 68
Shoes – PLN 299
Electronics and appliances – PLN 632 (per 6 months)
Mobile devices – PLN 362 (per 6 months)
When do Poles buy?
The hottest is the period from October to December. The worst months are the summer ones: July and August. What is interesting, the Polish consumer buys online usually at times when the majority of Poles are in work (8-17). According to the Planet Plus research, the most popular times for e-commerce are 9.00 – 11.00. 9
Pictures
Benchmark: benchmark 3
Selected data
The most profitable days for online stores in Poland:
December
9 – 13 – pre-holiday sales
November
26 – Cyber Monday
23 – Black Friday
The least profitable days for online stores in Poland:
December
22-25 – Christmas
Easter Day ( 21st of April In 2019)
Summer holiday season (22nd of June to 18th of August)
How often do Poles buy online?
According to the Trusted Shops statistics, half of the population buys online once or twice a month, and only 16% do it at least once a week. 84% of Poles buy online at least once a month. Online shopping is much more popular in the Z Generation (people aged 18-24). 98% of them shop online at least once every six months. 10
E-commerce payment
The most popular form of payment for online shopping is payment on delivery. Electronic transfer or payment by credit card are definitely less popular.11 The vast majority of Polish online customers use a computer or laptop (63%) for online shopping. Mobile commerce is still unpopular. Only 25% of people use smartphones, and 18 % – tablets.
Discounts and advertising
Poles are more likely to buy impulsively, if the price is low, or if they will receive a rebate and sale. Women are slightly more prone to that „temptation” (78.7% comparing to the men – 75.5%).
What is important, only 3.5% of Poles indicate various forms of traditional advertising as meaningful to them in the purchase process. This is a signal for marketers to transfer part of marketing budgets towards building relationships with Polish clients.12
How to make on-line ads for Poles?
Poles are becoming more and more mobile. The number of Internet users in Poland in January 2019 totaled 28.6 million: 23.3 million of them use computers and laptops and 24.1 million use mobile devices (smartphones and tablets).13
Young Poles use online media the most intensely (40% of them are between 15 and 24 years old, and 35% are aged 25-34), both women and men with secondary or higher education, with over-representation of people living in small towns.14
Diagrams:
benchmark: benchmark 4
Title: The most frequent media users in Poland:
Selected data:
40% are young people (15 -24 years old)
10% have a primary education
25% are students or college students
51% do not earn or earn up to PLN 2000 net
21% live in households lending 5 people or more
29% live in cities up to 50 thousand residents
About the study
(1) http://openresearch.pl/patriotyzm-zakupowy-raport/
(2) https://www.nielsen.com/pl/pl/insights/reports/2018/is-the-consumer-king.html
(3) https://media.jamam.pl/2018/06/17/polscy-konsumenci-kochaja-malych-sprzedawcow/
(4) cejsh.icm.edu.pl/cejsh/element/bwmeta1…8d2c…/handel_wew_2-2013.83-94.pdf
(5) http://www.portalmedialny.pl/art/65314/kantar-tns-zbada-sposoby-patnosci-w-internecie.html
(6) https://mediarun.com/pl/polecamy/dokad-zmierza-polski-konsument-raport.html
(7) https://www.gemius.pl/agencje-aktualnosci/polacy-mobilni-w-weekendy.html
(8) https://www.gemius.pl/e-commerce-aktualnosci/ile-i-w-jaki-sposob-polacy-placa-za-e-zakupy.html
(9) http://www.dlahandlu.pl/e-commerce/wiadomosci/badanie-polacy-wola-robic-zakupy-przez-internet-w-poniedzialek-niz-w-niedziele,77438.html(Source: Planet Plus magazine)
(10) http://www.egospodarka.pl/154408,Zakupy-online-po-polsku-podsumowanie-2018,1,39,1.html
(11) http://www.portalmedialny.pl/art/65314/kantar-tns-zbada-sposoby-patnosci-w-internecie.html
(13) http://pbi.org.pl/badanie-gemius-pbi/polski-internet-w-styczniu-2019/
(14) http://www.portalmedialny.pl/media/uploads/mindshare_infografika_pozeracze_mediow_big.jpg
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