Regionalization of e-commerce

The clear leader in terms of the number of stores in operation is Mazovia, which gathers as much as 22.1 percent of all e-stores. Just behind it is Lesser Poland with 12.8 percent of companies. Silesia is also on the podium, with 12.5 percent of e-commerce.

Interestingly, Silesia and Lesser Poland - are regions that, while still strong, have lost noticeably compared to last year. While the same three provinces accounted for slightly more than 50 percent of all stores in 2017, this year their share has dropped to around 47 percent. - This does not necessarily mean that there has been a decline in the number of stores in these three provinces, explains Jacek Zientkiewicz, Brand Manager of the platform Shoper. - Rather, e-stores in other regions have arrived, he adds.

The top spot is chased by Greater Poland with 8.9 percent and Lower Silesia with 7.2 percent.

The last 8 provinces accumulate fewer e-shops than Mazowieckie alone. Only slightly more than 18 percent operate there in total. Among them, the Opole province boasts the worst result, with only 1.4 percent of stores. Just ahead of it was Warmian-Masurian with a result of 1.5 percent and Podlaskie with 1.7 percent of all online stores.

On the one hand, for e-commerce, the most important thing is not to goegraphically locate your store. The most important thing is to reach your customers, who live all over the country and potentially all over the world, with information about your product. The key to success is finding a demand for the product and filling that niche. The stores present on the Shoper platform have similar stories - the owner knows a particular industry and sees room for action within it. On the other hand, it is not without reason that 47 percent of all stores are concentrated in just three provinces. This is because logistics, access to distributors, better connectivity to the rest of the country and the availability of e-commerce specialists all matter. This translates into the ability to deliver goods faster, which is increasingly important for consumers," says Jacek Zientkiewicz, Brand Manager of the platform Shoper.

The most popular product categories in e-stores

Polish e-commerce is dominated by stores in three product categories - home and garden, clothing and health and beauty. Home products are by far the most popular, giving way to fashion only in Lodz and Lublin.

E-shops selling health and beauty-related products also have a significant share in Polish e-commerce. In almost every province, this is the third most popular category - only in the Opole region did it take second place. Podlasie is home to more stores selling gifts and accessories than cosmetics.

The data comes from more than 10,000 e-stores using the Shoper platform from September 2017 to June 2018.