Logistics must keep up with e-commerce

2014 will be a year of dynamic development and transformation on the e-commerce market. The turnover of Polish online trading in 2012 was estimated at PLN 22.9 bln. It increased to PLN 25 bln last year and it is estimated to reach PLN 30 bln this year. The drivers of the trend are the increasing importance of new technologies, the development of mobile channels and social media, but these are not the only factors. Customers are also inclined to shop on the Internet because of the economic situation which results in them analysing and comparing product prices more and more often.

The development of e-commerce is mapping out the direction of the retail and service sectors and has a significant impact on companies involved in logistics. Retail chains and the logistic companies that service them generate a considerable demand for logistic space. Their share of the total demand for warehouses exceeded 70 pct last year. Normally tenants use the warehouse area which they already lease in order to deal with the requirements of e-commerce but if they become more specialised, new warehouse centres will be built dedicated to sorting and handling returned goods or as local distribution centres. ‘One Day Delivery’ is becoming a challenge for the market as well as the growth in the number of items returned, which creates a need to use modern warehouse space.