Every internet user has made a purchase online at least once, and as many as 37% do so five or more times a month – according to a report “Omni-commerce. Shopping Conveniently” by the Electronic Commerce Chamber prepared by Mobile Institute. The growing interest in this form of shopping does not translate into the financial condition of e-stores. Despite an ever-increasing number of customers, the amount of debt, which according to the database of the National Debt Register of the Economic Information Office (KRD) is PLN 131 million, is also increasing.
According to the KIG report, e-commerce turnover in June 2024 accounted for 8.2% of total retail turnover in the enterprise sector, totaling PLN 79.59 billion. E-commerce turnover reached PLN 6.5 billion, a decrease of 4.6% compared to May. At the same time, these results were 11.8% higher than in June 2023.
The current debt of online stores in Poland in the KRD is PLN 131,612,235 million. This amount is the result of non-payment of 22,305 obligations by 4809 companies. On average, each indebted e-store owes 27.4 thousand PLN, which is 2 thousand PLN more than in the same period last year. There were also 268 debtors and 2941 unsettled invoices added over the year.
– “The KRD creditworthiness analysis expresses the assessment of a company’s ability to timely fulfill its obligations. It is classified from A (highest score) to H (lowest score). 15 percent of all e-stores have average scoring, meaning an increased risk of being added to our database. Nearly 7 percent have a high risk of not fulfilling their obligations. What is worrying is that the percentage of companies with the highest credibility has decreased by several percent over the past 12 months, while there has been a significant increase in companies with very low scoring. The percentage of companies in category B has shrunk by as much as 17 percent, and one of the worst categories, F, has grown by as much as 18.2 percent in the same time. Taking into account only those stores that were verified by their contractors last year, it is as much as nearly 25 percent” – says Adam Łącki, President of the Board of the National Debt Register of the Economic Information Bureau.
The results of this year’s e-chamber report show that e-commerce in Poland is very popular among consumers. As many as 77% of respondents made their last purchase online, and only 23% went to a brick-and-mortar store. 87% of respondents shopped online in the last 6 months.
– “We now buy literally everything online, from necessities, food, cleaning products to luxury goods related to our hobby, work, services, travel offers, and many more, as confirmed by the results of the e-chamber report. We are accustomed to online shopping, we buy both more expensive and cheaper goods. However, the mere setup of an e-store does not guarantee success, as shown by 4809 indebted entities added to the KRD database. It is therefore worth knowing where the product comes from and whether the store we have chosen is characterized by payment reliability and honesty. In today’s world, verification should be the basis for making purchasing decisions, so as not to lose money, nerves and valuable time” – says Sandra Czerwińska, expert of the Reliable Company.
Internet merchants in Mazovia, Silesia, Greater Poland, Lesser Poland, and Lower Silesia are having the most troubles. The debt in these provinces reaches 30.5 million PLN, 15.5 million PLN, 13.5 million PLN, 12.6 million PLN, and 10.6 million PLN respectively. However, the highest average debt was recorded in the Opole voivodeship – each of the 79 debtors is on average 33.8 thousand PLN in arrears, the second highest average amount is recorded by companies registered in Silesia – 33 thousand PLN, the podium is closed by indebted companies from the Mazowieckie voivodeship – 30.2 thousand PLN.
The smallest arrears are the companies registered in Podlasie (1.9 million PLN), in the Świętokrzyskie voivodeship (2.3 million PLN) and in the Opolskie voivodeship (2.7 million PLN).
The creditors of the record debtor are waiting for the payment of 29 obligations amounting to 1.9 million PLN. This group includes a leasing services provider, a packaging manufacturer, an agricultural goods supplier, and a transport company.
Among the indebted e-stores, the majority are entrepreneurs running a sole proprietorship. They owe 86 million PLN, which is the result of non-payment of 14,034 obligations. The average debtor from this group has an average of 33.6 thousand PLN to repay.
The debt of commercial law companies amounts to 46 million PLN, 1516 entities were entered into the KRD database, and their average debt is 30 thousand PLN.
The group of e-store creditors is very broad. The largest ones include debt management companies, commercial banks, leasing and factoring companies. The financial sector as a whole is waiting for a refund of PLN 83 million. Transport companies require a repayment of PLN 9.8 million, telecommunications operators PLN 5.8 million, and the construction industry owes PLN 3.5 million in unpaid obligations.
E-stores also have their debtors. The total amount of invoices not paid by their customers is PLN 6.3 million. The largest part, PLN 2.3 million, is owed by companies engaged in wholesale and retail trade, the construction industry owes PLN 1.3 million, and the industrial sector just over PLN 800 thousand.
Source: https://managerplus.pl/rosnie-zadluzenie-polskiego-e-commerce-sklepy-internetowe-sa-winne-ponad-131-mln-zl-59460
