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Coronavirus, lockdown, health and hygiene measures – these are the key words that characterize the last year, and that have had an impact on our reality and on the shopping behaviour of Poles. Changes are still taking place, but thanks to a study by PwC we can grasp the first effects and make forecasts.
Household spending
What has the strongest impact on shopping behaviour is the financial situation of Polish households. As many as a third of Poles saw their income fall due to redundancies, job loss or reduced hours, while bills rose, and money was lost due to cancelled cultural events or holiday trips.
Source: Ipsos Poland survey commissioned by PwC Poland.
Despite the fact that, because of the pandemic, Poles cut down on spending due to changes in the way they work and spend their leisure time, it is believed that household spending will increase in the coming months (as many as 41% believe so). Only one in five Poles believes that their spending will fall.
Source: Ipsos Poland survey commissioned by PwC Poland.
It is also worth looking at what changes in the structure of spending Polish consumers see by product category. The largest growth was seen in the food, health, personal care, and consumer electronics categories, i.e., products whose buying was triggered either by panic due to a high degree of uncertainty (stockpiling) or by situations such as work (remote working) and education (remote learning).
Source: Ipsos Poland survey commissioned by PwC Poland.
All these factors also have an impact on consumer price sensitivity. Nearly half of women (48%) and a significant proportion of men (38%) say they are paying more attention to the prices of products and services due to the pandemic. This is of great importance, because even before the pandemic Poles were among the most price-sensitive consumers in Europe.
Source: Ipsos Poland survey commissioned by PwC Poland.
Growing role of the online channel
The pandemic and the related lockdown of shops and shopping centres as well as concerns about being away from home have prompted a change in the way people shopped, with more than a third of consumers making online purchases more frequently. This is true mainly for big city dwellers, who were more likely than others to buy products and services online.
This sales channel was particularly important for products and services related to entertainment, consumer electronics and sports equipment. Interestingly, for Poles aged 44+, the role of the online channel did not increase in any product category.
However, despite the pandemic, Polish consumers were still most likely to buy groceries using the traditional channel. What is also worth pointing out is that, despite the initial willingness to buy such goods online, that willingness waned over time.
Source: Ipsos Poland survey commissioned by PwC Poland.
Poles who made use of online shopping during the pandemic say they will continue to shop this way after the sanitary measures ease (90%). This shows that a pandemic is the perfect time to develop new consumer habits.
Source: Ipsos Poland survey commissioned by PwC Poland.
Interestingly, both for in-store and online shopping, the key factors are the same – in addition to price, convenience of purchase, availability of products, and wide choice. However, considering the age of consumers, it is clear that safety is particularly important for the 55+ age group, product availability and choice for the 25–34 group, and price and quality of service for Poles aged 35–44.
Source: Ipsos Poland survey commissioned by PwC Poland.
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