We’re looking forward to the next Fashion Without Borders event which judging by the last day is a great way to assess the potential of marketplaces around the world that might not currently be on your international roadmap.
One marketplace attending the event that has particularly caught our eye this time around, is the Polish marketplace Allegro.
Meet Allegro
Poland is the 6th most populous country in Europe, and Allegro dominates in Poland accounting for over 50% of ecommerce traffic. According to Gemius, Allegro is Poland’s number one shopping destination for apparel, accounting for over 40% of the market share.
Despite traditionally being associated as an auction site, over 85% of products sold in Allegro’s fashion category are actually new, fixed price items.
Allegro are keen to develop their fashion credentials and are being seen as a valuable sales channel for brands, with the likes of Adidas, Simple and Bytom already selling on this platform.
It is also worth mentioning that Allegro has been developing key technical and service offerings to help manage the sales of fashion products, such as mobile channels and free-of-charge returns with Allegro Paczkomaty Inpost service. These developments highlight the importance of this category to Allegro and the Polish market.
The Polish Ecommerce Opportunities
Poland is an untapped market for many brands and retailers, but this is one of the fastest growing B2C ecommerce markets in the EU!
A 2014 report from Gemius, found that Poland’s B2C ecommerce market is growing by a staggering 25% year-on-year, with a turnover of 6.2 billion euros in 2014. Polish internet penetration stands at 65%, with 75% of the 10 million internet buyers having bought online at least once, and 46% purchasing goods regularly online.
Interestingly, 45% of internet users prefer buying from polish e-stores because there is a greater level of trust from native stores and lower costs of delivery. Brands wanting to access the polish market should consider how Allegro can help them to build trust with potential new customers.
Meet Allegro at the Fashion Without Borders event
We’re looking forward to reporting back after Fashion Without Borders with more information on Allegro, but if you want to meet them directly then Celestyna Zachariasz, Allegro’s Category Group Manager for Fashion & Beauty will be speaking at the event. She will be available to answer direct questions and will provide more information on the selling opportunities in Poland.
Fashion Without Borders is to be held on the 17th September in central London, To attend you’ll need to register soon as places are filling up.
3 Responses
Two chaps copied the Ebay model and invented Allegro and as your article correctly points out, trust is an issue as is payment. Most goods are paid for once delivered in acceptable condition – not something Ebay caters for. The poles like other former E Bloc countries are more suspicious – possibly a hang up from the communist days when the neighbour spied on your every move and told the secret police you imported contra band from family abroad – i.e. sending cigis through the post or nipping across the border buying Levis in Germany.
Gaining trust is a big hurdle for foreign businesses, probably less so now, i was there a decade ago.
Totally agree with Chris. The country is booming. For sellers the opportunities are great, but for buyers it is even better. If you need any help please visit http://www.try-poland.com
If you have any question please ask and I will be happy to answer.