Meet Kasia, an imaginary Polish consumer. Kasia is a 29-years old HR specialist, who runs a fashion blog in her free time. She loves shopping, but lately her buying habits have become more cautious.
Kasia is not alone. Rising living costs are prompting Polish shoppers to reconsider their purchases. New Google research shows that two-thirds of surveyed Polish consumers completely or somewhat agree that they are using more deals, discounts, and special offers due to inflation.1 People think twice before they buy — and marketers must follow their evolving shopping habits to stay competitive.
Let’s take a closer look at Polish consumers’ shopping behaviours and preferences for 2024 and how these trends compare to other markets in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and in Greece.2 The insights will empower marketers to build winning strategies for this year’s peak retail season.
1. Window shopping 2.0: People browse for fun
Even when Kasia cannot afford a new item of clothing to showcase in her blog, she is browsing the web just for fun, occasionally exploring new products and sharing them with friends.
Inflationary pressure has given rise to a new kind of window shopping. People are more cautious with their purchases but still enjoy browsing for fun, often without a clear intention to buy right away. Instead of searching for a particular item, they discover new products, compare options, and share experiences with friends. Yet, a positive experience can influence a future purchase decision.
This fusion of shopping and entertainment, known as “retailtainment”, is an emerging trend in online retail and marketing. Businesses can capture the attention of consumers with engaging and enjoyable ways to discover products, developing lasting connections.
Retailtainment is gaining pace in CEE, especially in Poland, where 37% of survey respondents said they were just browsing the internet for fun, rather than to look for a specific item.3 This is a much higher share than Romania (31%), and Hungary (19%).4 Notably, the popularity of retailtainment in Poland is comparable to Northern European countries, like Sweden and Norway.
Popularity of retailtainment:
Therefore, brands should be constantly present. For example, Kasia might come across a fun, interactive ad featuring a customisable pair of sneakers. She can design her ideal sneakers, 'try them on' virtually, and save the design for later. Even if she doesn't buy them immediately, the experience might stay with her, influencing brand choice when she is ready to purchase.
Interestingly, short-form videos remain the most popular new technology among Polish shoppers for finding inspiration on what to buy used by 23% of survey participants. Visual search is the second-most popular (18%).5 Recognising this trend, top Polish brands like footwear retailer CCC are introducing visual search tools.
Marketing takeaways: Design fun and engaging browsing experience for your products across all touchpoints to connect with consumers and spark engagement. For instance, some brands have their brand ambassadors speak directly to consumers, creating a friend-like connection.
2. Polish consumers are price sensitive, but also like familiarity
When Kasia does go from window shopping to buying a product, she values familiarity with retailers and brands alongside price.
Polish shoppers present an interesting duality: they are price-sensitive, but they also favour familiar retailers rather than solely looking at the cheapest options. This is evident in their shopping habits: 57% of survey respondents report making their last purchase from one of a few retailers they consistently buy from, compared to 41% in Hungary, 34% in Romania, and 46% in Greece.6
Like many Polish consumers, Kasia develops long-term relationships with sellers, seeking the security and reduced risk associated with retailers she knows and already trusts. This tendency is especially strong for beauty products, with one-third of Polish shoppers saying they try to buy their products from a single retailer.7 By establishing trust and offering consistently positive experiences, marketers can earn consumer loyalty, even in a price-sensitive environment.
To stand out from the competition, retailers should, in the first place, ensure product availability, quality, and outstanding customer service. The survey revealed that for a whopping 86% of Polish respondents, product availability was very important or quite important when choosing a retailer.8 Quality and good customer service followed closely behind, with 84% and 83% respectively.9 Additionally, Poles give importance to a variety of products, competitive prices, and positive past experiences.10
Polish consumers are not confined to a single shopping channel either. As many as 32% of survey participants use five or more channels to research and purchase products.The most popular means to shop for Polish consumers are going to a physical store, visiting a website or an app, or using search engines.11
Marketing takeaways: Stand out by offering unique deals and discounts. Address shoppers’ preference for familiarity and security through positive experiences and efficient customer service. Reach cautious consumers and empower them to make confident choices.
Shoppers’ top 3 reasons for choosing a retailer in CEE and Greece:
3. Online shopping booms, but consumers grapple with pain points
Kasia regularly shops online, like many of her friends. However, even when she visits those retailers and brands she’s already familiar with, her experience is not always smooth. Imagine this: Kasia is browsing for a new laptop bag only to discover at checkout that her preferred model is out of stock.
In Poland, e-commerce is evolving, offering price-sensitive consumers an opportunity to do extensive research and comparison before buying. By 2026, e-commerce is expected to capture 20% of all retail sales in the country. However, more than half of Polish shoppers encounter obstacles while buying online.12
The most common online pain points are price increases, product unavailability, and a lack of independent reviews, followed by unclear pricing and difficulty finding a product for their needs quickly.13 Removing these barriers is an opportunity to improve shopping experience and customer satisfaction.
Payment options also matter to Polish shoppers. Mobile wallets like Google Pay, Apple Pay, and Blik are the most popular (27%), with debit cards (23%) and cash (15%) also being common options for Polish shoppers.14 This highlights the importance of offering a variety of payment methods to cater to diverse customer preferences.
Remarkably, mobile payment adoption is much higher in Poland compared to other CEE countries. In Hungary, cash remains the top payment method (25%), with mobile payments trailing behind at 13%.15 In Romania the preferred options are debit (37%) and credit cards (18%), while mobile payments stand at 11%. Greece has a lower mobile payment share than CEE countries, at only 7%.16
Marketing takeaways: Regularly update your website and apps to identify and remove potential obstacles in the online customer journey. Maintain real-time inventory, provide a variety of payment options, including mobile, and clear pricing and return policies. Check our retail guide on connecting with customers throughout their complex journeys.
Method of payment for last purchase:
