SaaS is driving the online market

The pandemic clearly accelerated the trend of moving activities to the online channel last year, but some solutions benefited more than others. The growth rate of the number of stores operating in the SaaS model was 2020. 27%, while stores using what is still the most popular open source solution grew by 5%. The average annual growth between 2017 and 2020 for the SaaS market was three times that of open source, recording a dynamics of 15%. If the trend continues in the coming years, SaaS solutions will become the most popular solutions for e-commerce.

- The positive trend in the market for SaaS solutions had been going on for several years, but it was 2020 that brought a jump in growth to nearly 35,000 stores. We also saw this change in our Shoper platform, which offers customers everything they need to run an effective business in the rapidly growing online channel. In 2020, the number of stores on our platform exceeded 20 thousand, and we are the market leader, with a share of about 57%," comments Marcin Kuśmierz, president of Shoper S.A..

According to an analysis by an international consulting firm, the high popularity of SaaS solutions offered for several years has translated into a 42% market share in 2020 in terms of number of stores (up 4 p.p. in 3 years). The open source model ended last year with a share of 48% (down 9 p.p. in 3 years), while individual solutions accounted for the remaining 10% share. The growing popularity of the SaaS model means that the number of stores has increased by more than 50% over the past 3 years, from 22,800 stores in 2017 to 34,900 stores in 2020.

The SaaS model involves making one's product (e.g., an application) available as a service paid for by subscription. Among its greatest advantages are the comprehensiveness of the product offer, the lack of the need to have one's own servers and the guarantee of compatibility of additional services offered within the solution with the main platform. The high level of security due to closed access to the source code, as well as the friendly subscription formula and immediate access to the service are increasingly appreciated by customers.

- Poland is not an isolated case in terms of the popularity of SaaS solutions. Data shows that in developed countries this service model has the majority market share - in the United States it is about 58%. Given the technological growth in our country and the high GDP dynamics, I believe that this is the direction in which our market will develop in the coming years. For Shoper, which operates in the SaaS model, this represents an opportunity for further growth," says Marcin Kuśmierz.

The economy is gradually starting to open up, and this means that there will be a revision of consumer habits acquired during the pandemic. As the recent PwC report "Strategies that Win. E-commerce Leaders on the Development of Digital Commerce," about 3⁄4 of people expect no change in the frequency of online shopping, and 10% expect even an increase.

- Loosening restrictions and an opening economy will have less of an impact on the e-commerce market than previously thought. The coming months may see the transformation of consumer habits acquired during the pandemic into established habits. People using the online channel en masse have become convinced of its convenience, speed and security, and these are among the most important factors besides price, which is also attractive in this model, for choosing where to buy, adds Marcin Kuśmierz.