Post-crisis consumer trends in Poland: Some empirical insight
With the rise of the capitalist system and a market-driven economy in Poland, conditions have been provided for gradual increases in wealth and living standards of Polish consumers and households. Recent decades saw powerful manifestations of a globalisation of consumption in Poland, fed by the expansion of the internet, peoples’ increased international mobility and persuasive hedonistic pressure in the media.
Consumption and the related materialistic set of values have been gaining ground in Polish society. Two decades of transition towards market economy in Poland triggered far-reaching consequences for various spheres of the country’s social, economic and political life including changes in consumption patterns and behaviours of Polish consumers. The institutional infrastructure of the market-driven system has been created, Poland’s economic and commercial ties with the world economy have been strengthened and finally Poland joined the EU in 2004. Polish consumers found themselves in a “global village” under strong pressure of patterns of consumption characteristic of cosmopolitan consumer culture.
The recent economic crisis changed consumer shopping habits and behavioural patterns in many countries and resulted in new post-crisis consumer trends. The basic aim of the paper is to shed some light on the consumption patterns and consumer behaviours of contemporary Poles under the conditions of economic slowdown. An attempt will be also made to determine which new consumer trends found fertile ground in Poland and what are their social and economic implications.
2. Data/methods
The intention of the author is to characterize selected post-crisis consumer trends in Poland under the circumstances of economic slowdown using diverse data sources. The author would like to draw upon statistical data, latest available research findings on the subject and findings of our own questionnaire research conducted in 2010, 2011 and 2013.
3. Expected results
The author would like to highlight some new emerging consumer trends (e.g. sharing economy, collaborative consumption, smart shopping etc.) which appeared in Poland under the conditions of economic slowdown. An in-depth analysis of the new tendencies in consumer behaviours and consumption patterns of contemporary Poles should provide useful tips and recommendations for economic policy makers and corporate strategists.
4. JEL codes: D11, D12, O57.