From CD to becoming one of the e-commerce leaders. 18 years Shoper.

Shoper, the most popular e-commerce infrastructure provider in Poland, turns 18. It was in September 2005 that the founders of the current e-commerce leader registered a civil partnership to launch their flagship product - software for running your own online store called Shoper. How has the e-commerce market changed during this time?

Software CD Shoper

- Starting with the brand Shoper , our goal was to offer sellers Polish and affordable software. From the beginning, we wanted to support entrepreneurs in opening and developing their own online stores, and we placed great emphasis on customer service, " this is how the brand's beginnings are recalled by its co-founder, Krzysztof Krawczyk

It was he, along with his brother Rafal Krawczyk, who in 2005 decided to introduce to the fledgling e-commerce market in Poland a service that would allow business owners to sell their products online. The idea itself was born for a mundane reason: the brothers ran an Internet access company, whose business they wanted to expand with an online store. Their e-store was to offer radio networking and computer equipment. It quickly became apparent that there were no ready-made solutions on the market to open such an e-business. Therefore, the founders of the Shoper brand decided to help other entrepreneurs with their digital transformation and entry into the Internet world.

Online store delivered... on CD

Shoper At first, it was sold in a boxed version - the customer bought a disc, which came with a manual and a contact for the company's IT support. However, such a distribution model was complicated for both software providers and customers. Therefore, Shoper was transformed into a SaaS solution, or software for rent.

- Open source and dedicated solutions were available on the market, but they were too expensive for the average seller, who most often chose an auction service at the time. Shoper , on the other hand, as a SaaS - sold as a service - was supposed to attract primarily by its accessibility. We wanted to sell online stores that would meet the basic needs of the seller, would be affordable for him and would be backed by technical support," is how the brand's co-founder, Krzysztof Krawczyk, recalls its beginnings

How has Shoper changed ?

The owner of the first store running on Shoper software was a high school student selling books. He encouraged people to buy with a catchy slogan: "save time, buy books online." Initially, the software for running an online store was very basic. Only later, over time, did the company invest in the development of the infrastructure, expanding it with more services and functionalities, adding internal online payments (Shoper Payments), logistics (Shoper Shipments), or introducing support for advertising campaigns (Shoper Campaigns).

Management of Shoper with co-founder.
From left: Anna Miśko - CPO, Paweł Rybak - CCO, Marcin Kuśmierz - CEO, Piotr Biczysko - CFO, Krzysztof Krawczyk - founder Shoper

The breakthrough year for the development of Shoper is 2021. It is then that the key management staff is joined by Marcin Kuśmierz (long-time president of home.pl) as the company's president, Paweł Rybak (long-time president of Sunrise System) as a commercial board member, and Piotr Biczysko (long-time financial director of home.pl) as a financial board member.

- We want Shoper to be the first-choice solution for new companies and startups in the e-commerce segment. We will also develop our service offering for professional online merchants, offering them a complete ecosystem, as well as partnerships with global e-commerce industry leaders. Our ambition is to become a leading provider on the European market," Marcin Kuśmierz said about Shoper, joining the company's Board of Directors.

The bell will also ring in July 2021, signaling Shoper 's debut on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. Joining Shoper on the stock exchange, and later becoming a member of the sWIG80 index, opens up new opportunities for the company. The e-commerce leader launches effective and successful acquisitions, investing in companies: ERP Box (now Apilo - a state-of-the-art multi-channel sales management system), Shoplo (an online store provider), Selium (a company that supports multi-channel and international sales) and Sempire (an agency that provides digital advertising services). Shoper It is also investing in new data processing centers for the e-commerce market.

Shoper currently

In 2023, Shoper is the most popular e-commerce infrastructure provider in Poland. It is not only software for running an online store, but also a range of services to support online commerce. These include. Omnichannel, online payments, Digital Ads, logistics services and business financing.

- We are constantly introducing new functionalities and new products to support online sales at Shoper . This is the result of continuous work with customers and listening to their needs. We want them to continue to grow rapidly and win the competitive battle. The rapid increase in the value of sales of online stores operating on the Shoper platform means that we have a good understanding of the changing needs of sellers and buyers, " comments Pawel Rybak, Board Member for Commercial Affairs.

The Shoper Group currently employs more than 350 experts, with offices in: Krakow, Szczecin, Kozy, Poznan and Bydgoszcz. Shoper has official partnership statuses with industry leaders such as Google, Microsoft and Meta. The company also works with partners such as Amazon, eMAG (leader in e-commerce services on the Romanian market), TikTok, Klarna and Alibaba. Tens of thousands of sellers sell on the platform Shoper , including recognizable brands such as Gym Glamour, WK Dzik, Irving, Paprocki&Brzozowski and Doppelherz. For more information, visit: www.shoper.pl