January traditionally cools consumer enthusiasm after the intense holiday season, and early 2026 was no different. An analysis of more than 240,000 receipts saved in When U Buy shows a clear month-on-month decline in spending, while also confirming that Poland’s e-commerce market continues to grow year on year—and that its internal balance is shifting more noticeably.
Average spending per user in January 2026 was almost 22% lower than in December, fully in line with shopping seasonality. Year on year, however, the picture looks much better: users spent on average 9% more than in January 2025. Against this backdrop, the differences between platforms stand out. Allegro recorded a moderate year-on-year decline in spending per user, while Temu nearly doubled this metric. Crucially, the average Temu user spent in January already around 60% of what they spent on Allegro, whereas a year earlier it was only 30%. These figures suggest that Temu is no longer seen purely as a platform for occasional, impulse purchases.
January 2026 data show the seasonal drop in spending after the December peak, while also confirming steady year-on-year e-commerce growth. The market is gradually moving toward a new equilibrium, and the differences between platforms increasingly stem not from sheer volume but from the structure of purchases and customer loyalty. In this context, the rising importance of Temu is particularly visible: it is shifting from an occasional shopping platform toward a more regular purchasing channel. Meanwhile, more mature platforms such as Allegro are focusing on improving the quality of the shopping experience—reflected, among other things, in fewer returns and changes in logistics. Overall, the data suggest that Polish e-commerce is entering a phase of stronger quality-based competition, where success is determined by purchase frequency, convenience, and user trust,” says Ewa Kraińska, owner of When U Buy.
Changes in spending are also accompanied by changes in shopping behavior. The value of the shopping basket in January was slightly lower than in December, but rose 16% year on year. Differences in basket value between platforms are relatively small, but Temu stands out in the structure of purchases. Users buy clearly fewer items per order than a year ago, but individual items are more expensive. As a result, the total basket value is rising and spending per user is steadily increasing. Interestingly, Temu’s basket is already higher than Allegro’s, despite a much lower average price per single product—indicating growing loyalty and purchase frequency.
A noticeable drop in returns
A positive signal for the whole market is the clear decline in returns. The average return rate in January was 9%, lower than both the previous month and the previous year. Allegro improved particularly strongly, cutting its return share from 9% to 5% year on year. For Temu, however, rapid sales growth translated into a higher return rate. Users returned roughly one in five purchased products, which remains one of the platform’s key challenges.
Shifts are also visible in payment preferences. BLIK currently accounts for about 20% of online purchases on Poland’s largest marketplaces. Although that is less than a year ago, the share has stabilized since the second half of 2025. Much of the decline has been absorbed by Apple Pay and BNPL solutions such as Klarna, PayPo, and Allegro Pay. Both Apple Pay and BNPL now handle roughly 23% of transactions each, highlighting the growing role of deferred payment methods.
The delivery market is evolving
The delivery market is changing just as dynamically. Parcel lockers now account for around 65% of shipments, marking a further year-on-year increase. InPost remains the leader in this segment, although its share is gradually declining. This is most visible on Allegro, where the drop in InPost’s share has been offset by the rising share of Allegro Delivery and DHL, which recorded a several-fold year-on-year increase.
The January data from When U Buy depict a market that returns to balance after the holiday peak while increasingly shifting its internal emphasis. Particularly interesting is Temu, which—contrary to forecasts predicting a rapid decline in popularity—is building a base of loyal customers and steadily increasing its share of users’ shopping wallets. This is a sign that Polish e-commerce is entering a phase of more mature competition, where success depends not only on the scale of promotions but also on the ability to retain customers and build long-term shopping habits.
Source: https://managerplus.pl/temu-przyspiesza-w-polsce-uzytkownik-zostawia-juz-60-tego-co-na-allegro
