The e-commerce market in Poland is still booming - although new online shops are springing up like mushrooms after the rain, shopping platforms are not keeping pace. In fact, new marketplaces are emerging all the time! That is why we have decided to make a short overview of the most popular Polish sales platforms.
Marketplace - what is it?
If you are involved in online sales (no matter whether you are a dropshipper or have chosen the classic sales model), you have probably heard of the term marketplace. What does it actually mean?
A marketplace is simply a trading platform offering goods from a number of sellers from virtually any industry in one place. These types of portals can be B2C, B2B or C2C. We can also divide them according to the degree of specialisation - we then distinguish between horizontal marketplaces (i.e. general marketplaces with a wide range of goods on offer) and vertical marketplaces (i.e. more specialised, sector-specific marketplaces, aimed at a specific target group).
Marketplace - overview of popular platforms
Allegro.pl
Allegro is still the largest marketplace in Poland (5th in Europe and 10th in the world). In 2003, it reached its first million users. In 2007, the portal changed the rules of the game on the Polish e-commerce market by introducing a registration option for companies. Another milestone was the launch of the Allegro SMART programme, as well as the possibility of delivery to a parcel machine.
Allegro has been around since 1999, so it has managed to gain the trust of Poles, who very often start their shopping on this platform. So if you are a seller and you do not have an account on Allegro, you are losing potential customers! Remember, however, that it is not a free platform - you have to take into account commissions and fees for marketing activities, among other things.
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon is currently the largest marketplace in the world. The Polish version appeared in 2021, before that we mostly used the German version, which had a Polish translation. The biggest advantage of the platform is the ability to easily reach foreign customers. The downside is unfortunately the high commissions.
eBay.pl
EBay is one of the largest sales platforms in the world - it has been in existence since 1995. It first appeared in our country in 2005 and failed spectacularly, but is now trying to conquer the Polish market again.
EBay is a typical horizontal type platform, so you can find practically everything there.
EmpikPlace
Empik has so far been strongly associated with a stationary bookstore, meanwhile, since 2017, it has also been a sales platform where entrepreneurs can display their own goods.
By creating an account and selling on EmpikPlace, you can reach a really wide audience. Apart from the standard sales commission, Empik does not charge sellers any additional fees.
Facebook MarketPlace
Facebook launched its own sales platform back in 2016; in Poland, this option debuted a year later. A strong advantage of Facebook MarketPlace is the lack of commission - it is a free platform for both seller and buyer.
Erli
Erli is a young Polish sales platform - it appeared on the market in 2021. At the moment, it is Allegro's strongest competitor - mainly because it also offers horizontal sales.
When looking for a good sales platform, Erli is worth considering, as it charges lower commissions compared to its main Polish competitor.
OLX
OLX is an ad service that operates in more than 40 countries! Initially, only private persons could add their ads on the site, but now there is also the possibility to create company accounts. Most ads can be published on the site free of charge (of course, the portal imposes certain limits both on companies and individuals), except for a few categories such as Jobs, Real Estate or Automotive.
Why start selling on the marketplace?
If you already have an online shop and are wondering whether it is still worth getting started on sales platforms - the answer is YES!
Marketplaces have some very strong advantages that online shops do not have. First and foremost, they bring together millions of users - there is no way to reach this number of potential customers without investing a huge budget in advertising. The marketing and reach of a sales platform is the responsibility of its owner, not you as a seller.
As a seller, you also don't have to worry about many technical issues - it is the owner of the platform who has to ensure that the marketplace works properly, and he is also responsible for introducing new payment or delivery methods.
Marketplaces take a lot of the responsibility off your shoulders as a seller, but this comes at a price - you have to share the profit from sales with them (usually in the form of a sales commission or subscription). Another big downside is also the huge competition - anyone can start selling the same goods as you.
Marketplace - when does it actually pay off?
Before you start your adventure with sales platforms - do some deep research. Find out what costs you will face in the form of sales commissions or subscriptions, see what your competitors are charging and conscientiously calculate whether you can actually make money from your offer. A great many budding online retailers skip this important step and end up having to add to their business. Dropshippers in particular, due to the cost specificity of this model, quite often forget to calculate all fixed costs in the end.
However, whether you are dropshipping or have chosen the classic sales model - the marketplace is for you! You just need to ensure that your offer stands out from the rest.
There is a reason why sales platforms are so popular with buyers - many offers of the same goods are gathered in one place, so each user can find the most suitable one for themselves or compare offers with each other. As a seller, you need to remember that every buyer focuses on something different - for some, the price will be the most important, for others, fast delivery.
Whichever sales model you choose, sales platforms are a great place to acquire customers. Nowhere else will you find such a concentration of people looking for the goods you offer.
