The E-Commerce Route into Central & Eastern Europe

At a webinar hosted by HKTDC Research, entitled The E-Commerce Route into Central & Eastern Europe, a number of experts were invited to analyse the structure and growth potential of the e‑commerce market in Poland, and to discuss the attributes needed to enter the market there. Louis Chan, Deputy Director of Research at HKTDC, noted that during the Covid-19 pandemic, e‑commerce became a major sales channel for many industries around the world. However, since the demands and spending habits of consumers in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) differ from those of their counterparts in Asia, Hong Kong companies wanting to enter the CEE market via e‑commerce must first obtain a good understanding of the structure of the e‑commerce market in the region, and the latest developments in that market, if they are to succeed.

Simeon Woo, Economist (Global Research) at HKTDC Research, gave an overview of key CEE markets at the webinar. He explained that CEE generally refers to the 16 countries around the Baltic Sea, Balkan Peninsula and Central Europe. The combined population of the region exceeds 100 million and its total GDP reached US$2 trillion (HK$15.6 trillion) in 2022. Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic and Hungary are the region’s largest economies. Outlining CEE’s links with Hong Kong, Woo said: “According to the trade figures, in 2022 the value of Hong Kong‑CEE trade surpassed US$8 trillion, up some 20% from 2017, with Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic being Hong Kong’s major trading partners. Key import‑export products included telecommunications equipment, computers and semi‑conductors.”