According to the latest data from the Central Statistical Office of Poland (GUS) in September 2024 compared to September 2023, a higher value of online retail sales in current prices was recorded (an increase of 4.9%). The share of online sales in total sales increased in September 2024 compared to a similar period in the previous year, from 8.3% to 8.9% (it was 8.0% in August 2024).
The latest data is commented on below by experts from Univio (formerly Unity Group) and BaseLinker.
Grzegorz Rudno-Rudziński, Managing Partner at Univio:
E-commerce is in good shape. The GUS data on online sales does not show the full picture of the market.
According to GUS data, e-commerce has been responsible for about 8% of all retail trade for some time. In my opinion, this is a distorted image of the industry, and the gap between the presented numbers and the actual state of e-sales is deepening with each month, i.e., each data reading. The GUS publication only shows the share of companies for which online sales are their primary PKD (Polish Classification of Activities), and in the case of these companies, the market share will not significantly increase. The situation is different for trade leaders (which GUS’s study does not cover) declaring an online participation in their total sales at the level of several dozen percent. For example, LPP in 2023 declared a 27% share of the online channel, and in the second quarter of 2024 alone – a 17% increase in this area. Today, we should look at online more broadly; it’s part of the omnichannel universe. GUS’s monthly study cannot capture this.
So how should online participation be studied?
A real alternative could be introducing a clear distinction of sales based on online platforms in company turnover. This would allow – at least on an annual basis – to also capture B2B sales. This is not taken into account at all today, and it is a market several times larger than the B2C segment. However, this would mean another reporting obligation for entrepreneurs, and there are already far too many of them.
Łukasz Juśkiewicz, Head of Strategy at BaseLinker:
Online sales in September showed significant growth compared to already strong July and August, but also – primarily – on a year-on-year basis. Comparing the results with September 2023, there is a clear leap in sales, which perfectly shows the increasingly strong condition of the Polish e-commerce industry. This strength is also visible in cross-border sales, which already account for nearly 1/5 of all online sales, and its share is growing month by month.
Source: https://managerplus.pl/e-commerce-w-polsce-rosnie-we-wrzesniu-2024-udzial-sprzedazy-internetowej-wzrosl-do-89-89596
