Online sales across approximately 20,000 Polish e-commerce stores analyzed by Shoper increased by 13.1% year over year in September 2026. According to the latest Shoper Trends report, published on October 15, the construction and home improvement category recorded the strongest growth at 28.3%, followed by furniture at 22.7%. With Black Friday approaching, the results provide an important snapshot of consumer demand and shopping activity in one of Central Europe’s major e-commerce markets.
The latest Shoper Trends report shows a strong increase in online sales among the stores included in its analysis.
Shoper, a Polish e-commerce platform provider, analyzed transaction data from approximately 20,000 online stores.
In September 2026, their combined sales value increased by 13.1% compared with September 2025.
According to the report, this was the highest year-over-year growth rate recorded in the preceding 12 months. It was also the second consecutive month in which annual sales growth exceeded 13%.
Key findings include:
The Shoper Trends index reached 1,595 points, representing a 59.5% increase from its January 2023 baseline.
These figures indicate stronger shopping activity among the analyzed stores heading into the final quarter of 2026.
However, the report covers stores included in Shoper’s dataset and should not be interpreted as a comprehensive measurement of Poland’s entire e-commerce market.
The report highlights substantial differences in sales performance across product categories.
| Product category | YoY sales growth |
| Construction tools and building materials | +28.3% |
| Furniture | +22.7% |
| Arts and entertainment | +19.7% |
| Electronics | +0.2% |
| Books, music, and movies | -0.9% |
Construction tools and building materials recorded the strongest sales growth at 28.3% year over year, more than twice the overall growth rate across the analyzed stores.
Furniture followed with a 22.7% increase.
For businesses operating in home improvement, furniture, and related categories, these figures suggest favorable sales momentum ahead of the year-end shopping season.
However, strong category-level performance does not mean that every retailer in these sectors experienced comparable growth.
Individual results depend on factors such as product selection, pricing, inventory availability, competition, and marketing effectiveness.
Retailers should therefore compare their own revenue growth with relevant category benchmarks while accounting for differences in business models and customer segments.
The electronics category recorded sales value growth of just 0.2% year over year.
Interestingly, the number of orders in this category increased by 10.9%.
This difference may indicate a shift toward lower-priced products or accessories, although the available data does not establish the exact cause.
Meanwhile, the books, music, and movies category recorded a 0.9% decline in sales value.
The results demonstrate why retailers should avoid relying exclusively on broad e-commerce growth figures when evaluating their own performance.
One of the most important findings is what contributed to the increase in online sales.
In September, the number of buyers grew by 8.9% year over year, while the number of orders rose by 9.2%.
This suggests that sales growth was driven primarily by more customers and transactions rather than substantial changes in purchasing frequency.
The average order value reached PLN 409.48, representing a 3.5% annual increase.
However, it remained almost unchanged compared with August 2026, increasing by just 0.08%.
The data suggests that higher transaction volumes were the main driver of revenue growth, with increased average order value playing a smaller role.
For e-commerce businesses, this distinction matters.
Revenue can grow through more effective customer acquisition even when average basket values remain relatively stable.
At the same time, higher sales do not automatically mean better profitability.
More orders can also bring additional advertising, fulfillment, logistics, and customer service costs.
Retailers should therefore evaluate revenue alongside customer acquisition costs, margins, and the proportion of new versus returning customers.
Growing online shopping activity creates opportunities for retailers, but capturing increased demand requires a coordinated marketing strategy.
From Delante’s perspective, three areas deserve particular attention.
When demand increases within a product category, retailers have an opportunity to attract additional customers through organic search.
Businesses should review the visibility of their most important product and category pages, particularly those likely to generate strong sales during Q4.
This includes analyzing searches related to product comparisons, availability, specifications, and purchase decisions.
Content should also reflect the changing intent of users as they move closer to making a purchase.
Increasing numbers of online buyers may create opportunities for Google Shopping and Performance Max campaigns.
However, retailers should not automatically increase advertising budgets across every category.
Budget decisions should consider product profitability, conversion performance, customer acquisition costs, and inventory levels.
Analyzing campaign results by product category and product group can help identify where additional investment may be justified.
Market-wide trends provide useful context, but they should complement rather than replace a retailer’s own performance data.
Consumers are increasingly using AI-powered tools to research and compare products.
This makes it useful for retailers to evaluate how their brands and products appear in ChatGPT, Gemini, and other AI search experiences.
Important questions include whether products appear in relevant recommendations, whether their specifications are represented accurately, and how the brand is positioned against competitors.
The September results provide a useful benchmark as the busiest shopping period of the year approaches.
In 2026, Black Friday falls on November 27, followed by Cyber Monday on November 30.
For online retailers, October is a crucial time to finalize their marketing strategies, test website performance, and prepare promotional campaigns.
From Delante’s perspective, six actions should be prioritized:
Retailers should also ensure that their SEO, PPC, and AI Search activities support the same commercial objectives.
The September Shoper Trends data indicates that the analyzed Polish online stores entered the final quarter of 2026 with strong sales momentum.
However, differences between categories highlight the importance of looking beyond overall market averages.
At this stage, it is not possible to determine whether annual sales growth above 13% will continue in the coming months.
Black Friday performance, holiday promotions, consumer purchasing power, and competitive activity will all influence the results.
For international retailers selling in Poland, the report provides a useful indication of changing consumer demand.
For businesses already operating in the Polish market, it offers an opportunity to benchmark performance and identify areas that may benefit from further investment.
The main takeaway is that more consumers and transactions are supporting online sales growth, but long-term business success will depend on profitable customer acquisition, operational readiness, and effective marketing strategies.
