Who is the Polish e-Consumer?

Online shopping, the modern way of shopping, has attracted almost half of the Polish population. Therefore, Gemius decided to check who is happier to click than go out to a store. See what else you can learn about e-consumers from this online shopping report.

E-consumers vs. traditionalists

The latest report on the e-commerce market prepared by Gemius for e-Commerce Poland shows there are considerable differences between people who declared they shop online and those who said they do not. There are more and more young people shopping online and this trend has increased over last year. The share of 15- to 24-year-olds among online shoppers has increased to 30 per cent. Meanwhile, in the group of consumers who do not shop online the share of over-50s fell to 18 per cent.

“The Polish e-consumer who shops on Polish websites is usually between 15 and 24 years old, typically a college graduate, resides in one of the bigger cities, and has a household income of over PLN 2,000,” explains Gemius expert Marek Molicki. “Compared to last year, there is a shift toward younger people in the group of shoppers that most often use Polish websites: in 2015 the leading group was between 25 and 34 years old. We can expect further changes in upcoming years that will see more e-consumers aged 45 and over. There is no doubt that this will be a very attractive group for e-stores. However, such consumers will definitely prove to be more challenging as they will likely pay less attention to price and more to the quality of customer service upon the transaction and in the post-sale period − and this very level of quality will trigger customer loyalty. This rising group of shoppers aged 45 and over provides marketers with an opportunity to rethink their strategies and apply a less conventional approach, for example, use toy advertisements to target the elderly looking for presents for their grandchildren,” Molicki adds.

The ‘2016 E-commerce in Poland. Gemius for e-Commerce Poland’ report shows that e-consumers usually have a college degree (35 per cent). This group also grew year-on-year (32 per cent in 2015). Simultaneously, the category’s share of people with an elementary education dropped from 24 per cent to 23 per cent. Online shoppers believe that their financial situation is improving. The percentage of people declaring their situation as good rose to 46 per cent (up from 41 per cent in 2015).

According to Professor Grzegorz Mazurek of Kozminski University, the information clearly confirms that e-commerce is becoming a very important part of the lives of many Poles. “Online shopping is gaining popularity among not only educated big-city dwellers with high incomes, but also the elderly and youth residing in smaller municipalities. The reasons for that include: convenience, time saving, and often also competitive prices. The report is a sign to companies that consumers want and expect e-commerce. Firms that choose not to take advantage of its potential are seriously risking their prospective development,” believes Professor Mazurek, an e-commerce expert.

You will find more details in the upcoming ‘2016 E-commerce in Poland. Gemius for e-Commerce Poland’report.

Article originally published on Gemius.com