Marketplaces 2018: Allegro

No primary category set

This post about Allegro is part of Tamebay’s January 2018 Marketplaces series. For more information about marketplaces check out the Tamebay Guide.

Web address: https://allegro.pl

Marketplace Overview

Allegro is the biggest online marketplace in Poland. It’s a homegrown enterprise that enjoys 40% share of the total ecommerce market with more than 14m customers, of which 90% shop monthly on the site according to reports. It’s interesting to note that neither eBay or Amazon have been particularly successful and don’t dominate Polish ecommerce. Poland is a country of nearly 40 million people.

Poland is an interesting ecommerce market because the share of retail that is made online is relatively low: only 3.3% in 2016, compared to 16.8% in the UK. Internet penetration is also lower. And the same is true with mobile and smartphone usage compared to the UK or Germany. But all of the above are growing. Poland’s ecommerce is growing swiftly, making it an exciting proposition. Polish ecommerce is outpacing the rest of Europe with 23% ecommerce growth year-on-year in 2016, compared to 18% in the rest of the EU single market.

Seller registration and requirements

Registration on Allegro is easy. To sign up just go to allegro.pl, click on “My Allegro->Sign Up” and follow the instructions. You then need to set up a PayU account, the wallet service that collects all your Allegro takings. You don’t need a Polish bank account because PayU funds can be remitted to a UK bank account.

The process to register is easy so you don’t need to be accredited or approved. You can sell new goods in most verticals.

Product listings and fulfilment

It’s worth noting that Allegro is entirely in Polish so one real benefit you can enjoy is having a native Polish speaker in your business. Indeed, language is probably the biggest barrier to selling on Allegro.

You’ll need to produce listings in Polish and also provide customer service in the language. The listing design is customisable and not on a catalogue basis. Free shipping is highly recommended. A local returns address is recommended but not mandatory. There are no monthly subs or listing fees: you just pay when you sell.

Tamebay’s take on Allegro

If you want to sell to Poland, then Allegro is the primary choice. And as a UK seller, with ready access to Polish talent who can help, it is a realistic option. The relative weakness of Sterling will help, as does the close links between the UK and Poland. Postage, fulfilment and returns do represent a challenge but nothing is insurmountable. Brexit uncertainty though does represent a future concern.

This 2016 Christmas ad made a splash in 2016, and has had nearly 15 million views on YouTube, and is rather sweet and worth sharing.

If you have you any experience selling on Allegro, please do share your wisdom.

RELATED POSTS..

Expand-to-CEE-with-Allegro

Expand to CEE with Allegro

Allegro-01-scaled

Alvise Favara to join Allegro as Chief Commercial Officer

Allegro-Linnworks-integration-unlocks-selling-in-Poland

Allegro Linnworks integration unlocks selling in Poland

Klarna-poland-01

Klarna launches in Poland

Warsaw,Capitol,Of,Poland.,Copy,Space,Available.

Amazon launch in Poland webinar

ChannelX Guide...

Featured in this article from the ChannelX Guide – companies that can help you grow and manage your business.

Register for Newsletter

Receive 5 newsletters per week

Gain access to all research

Be notified of upcoming events and webinars