Online shopping in Poland. Report by the Chamber of Digital Economy

illustration: Gemini

The latest, eleventh edition of the "Omni-commerce. I buy conveniently 2026" study and report, conducted by Mobile Institute on behalf of the Chamber of Digital Economy (e-Izba), shows that the Polish e-commerce market is entering a new stage - the stage of intensification. Polish consumers are not just shopping online (the customer base has stabilized at a high level of 93% of internet users), but they are shopping much more frequently, across a greater number of channels, with increasing support from new technologies, and also abroad. The boundary between the online and offline worlds has practically ceased to exist. For another consecutive year:

• 2/3 of consumers (65%) buy the same brands both online and in brick-and-mortar stores,
• and for 63% of respondents, the availability of brands across multiple channels is key when choosing a shopping destination and a specific brand.
• Only 15% of Polish consumers now point to physical stores as their favorite shopping location,
• and a mere 12% (-7 percentage points) made their last purchase exclusively offline.

This perfectly illustrates what a vital source of inspiration, information, and purchasing the internet has become. At the same time, this continuous movement of consumers across multiple channels brings both advantages and challenges from a business perspective. Above all, consumers choose what is most convenient, fastest, and most cost-effective for them.


The purchasing path is becoming longer and more complex, which on one hand creates many potential touchpoints with a store and brand, but on the other hand brings many opportunities to lose a customer to a more optimal offer. Data shows that only one in ten respondents finalizes a purchase in a single place. This is a clear sign for digital businesses that pro-consumer vigilance - keeping the customer close at every stage of the buying process - is a necessity.

In addition, consumers migrate more freely between offers from multiple countries and are increasingly willing to shop abroad. Cross-border purchases are already made by 40% of Polish consumers, and more than half of them use options to shop on Asian platforms. This is another major challenge for Polish e-entrepreneurs.

- The results of this year`s edition of the report show clearly: Polish e-commerce has entered a phase of intensification. We are no longer speaking solely about an increase in the number of online shoppers - the market has left that stage behind. 100% of internet users declaring e-commerce purchases for the fourth year in a row and 93% shopping in the last 6 months - these numbers confirm that digital commerce is today a permanent element of Polish everyday purchasing decisions - comments Anastazja Buryanova, proxy of the board for operational affairs at the Chamber of Digital Economy. - However, the scale and character of these purchases are changing. Nearly all purchases involve a device with network access at some stage, 8 out of 10 respondents completed their last purchase fully digitally, and 2/3 buy the same brands both online and offline.

Social media and artificial intelligence as new shopping guides

This shows that omnichannel has stopped being a trend - it has become a standard of modern commerce, increasingly supported by technologies, social commerce, new payment models, and artificial intelligence. For the market, this is a clear signal of maturity: e-commerce has become an integral part of the economy, and its further development will depend ever more strongly on trust, convenience, and the quality of experience that digital commerce offers to consumers.

Social media and AI have permanently woven themselves into the purchasing path of Polish consumers.

• 45% of respondents already buy directly within social media apps (TikTok Shop, Instagram Shopping, Facebook Marketplace),
• 35% watch live shopping broadcasts,
• and influencer recommendations ultimately encourage 66% of consumers to make a purchase.

These phenomena are even more intense among the youngest respondents - Generation Alpha - who will soon start buying en masse via e/m/social-commerce. An even stronger trend, however, is artificial intelligence.

• over 90% of Polish consumers use AI support during shopping today,
• 63% have already allowed an assistant (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, or Allegro`s assistant) to independently search for and suggest the best product for them.

AI is also becoming an important source of shopping inspiration - outpacing social media and friend recommendations in this regard.

Payments and deliveries. Convenience is more important than habits

BLIK and fast transfers remain the leaders when it comes to utilized payment forms. However, for the first time, respondents who use multiple payment options indicated that paying with a card saved in the store is the most convenient form of paying for e-shopping. Why is this significant? Because for another consecutive year, the choice of payment method in an e-shop is decided primarily by convenience and speed, followed by the option to pay via a mobile device.

- Polish e-commerce is transitioning from the stage of popularizing digital payments to the stage of their optimization. Consumers increasingly choose payment methods integrated with the purchasing process, allowing them to finalize a transaction with practically a single click - says Tomasz Żołnierz, head of new business at PayU. - This is clearly visible through the growing popularity of digital wallets - already 19% of respondents recognized them as the most convenient online payment method, representing an increase of 6 percentage points year-on-year. For online stores, this means a necessity to offer a wide choice of modern payment methods - from one-click BLIK and digital wallets to saved cards - and to consistently simplify the checkout process. Today, sales success is more frequently determined not just by the offer, but also by how quickly and seamlessly the client can complete the transaction.

Consequently, the role of solutions allowing data storage and checking out with the metaphorical "one click" is rising.

- For consumers, card payment on the internet is one of the most convenient ways to pay for online purchases. According to the results of the Mastercard study, as many as 39% of users choose to pay via Click to Pay at least once a week, and 70% of consumers who have paid this way at least once declare they will use this solution again - comments Daria Auguścik, VP, business development director at the Polish branch of Mastercard Europe. - This shows the adoption speed of the new payment standard, which is becoming increasingly popular both in Poland and globally, thereby opening new opportunities for e-entrepreneurs in the area of international expansion.


Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) options are also gaining a stronger position - during the last 12 months, 49% of internet users utilized them, and as many as 74% of people who have not used them yet declare a readiness to try them out. This is important information because from the consumers` point of view, BNPL increases their purchasing power, thus minimizing (delaying in time) the primary reason for abandoning an e-shopping cart - exceeding the budget for a given month. If we add fast and convenient deliveries along with hassle-free returns to this mix, we get a consumer who willingly shops online, because they can pay later and simply return products that do not fit.

In the delivery sector, parcel lockers still dominate, but it is worth noting that this year the diversity of utilized pickup methods is also clearly growing. Consumers are increasingly turning to local pickup points, the click&collect format, or picking up from an automated locker inside a given store. Polish consumers also expect increasingly faster deliveries, though they remain reluctant to pay extra for an "express" option.

- The report shows that Polish e-commerce has entered a phase of maturity. Customers buy more frequently, use multiple sales channels, and expect greater convenience at every stage of the purchasing process. This also applies to delivery, which from a consumer`s perspective is an integral part of the shopping experience - comments Waldemar Hlebowicz, president of the management board at ORLEN Paczka. - At ORLEN Paczka, we observe that fitting parcel pickup into the daily rhythm of the day is becoming crucial. Customers want the option to pick up a package while doing other activities. That is why the significance of a well-located pickup point network and extended pickup windows, which give more freedom, is growing.

Shopping without borders and the second youth of used items

Cross-border shopping has permanently established itself in the shopping carts of Polish consumers, and currently, 4 out of 10 internet users (and 6 out of 10 among those who shop online most frequently, i.e., 5+ times a month) buy online from abroad, and the scale of this phenomenon has been growing systematically year-on-year since 2022. Is this a good thing?

• According to 7 out of 10 respondents, this helps optimize expenses because they buy cheaper, mostly on Asian platforms, but at the same time, it generates a larger carbon footprint and often poses a challenge regarding consumer data security or product quality control.
• Simultaneously, recommerse is recording record-breaking results - 51% of e-shoppers buy, and 41% sell second-hand products online.

This is a phenomenon that consumers view as a win-win solution - simultaneously eco-friendly and wallet-friendly, and its share in the digital spending of Polish consumers is already estimated at 21-30% in certain categories.

E-grocery is growing, with more trends on the horizon

In the last 12 months, as many as 75% of respondents shopping in this category increased their online grocery purchases. Even though the average value of an e-grocery cart dropped this year from 252 PLN to 219 PLN, the frequency of such purchases clearly increased. The most frequently cited advantages of digital shopping in this category remain the convenience of home delivery as well as attractive prices and promotions.


And what lies ahead of us? The study`s authors point to potential directions that will shape Polish e-commerce in the coming years: the development of the AI-supported "super-consumer", advancing hyper-personalization of offers and communication, fully automated shopping, or tools to manage the already numerous online subscriptions and memberships.

Source: Data comes from the eleventh edition of the "Omni-commerce. I buy conveniently" study and report, conducted since 2015 on behalf of the Chamber of Digital Economy by the research firm Mobile Institute. This year`s study was carried out on a sample of 1,974 internet users using the CAWI method (responsive electronic surveys), with a questionnaire spanning over 80 questions. The data is representative of internet users in Poland in terms of structure by gender, age, place of residence, and earnings.

Link to the shortened version of the report:
https://eizba.pl/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Omni-commerce-Kupuje-wygodnie-2026-skrot.pdf
The full version is available exclusively to member companies of e-Izba.

Content partners: Mastercard, ORLEN Paczka, PayU