One of the biggest opportunities for online retailers to boost their sales is by tapping into new channels. Online marketplaces are fantastic for this, and Europe has hundreds of them to explore. 

While Amazon and eBay are the big players in Germany and the UK, the Polish platform Allegro is making waves. It's climbing the ranks and sits comfortably in third place in the ranking of the Europe’s largest online marketplaces, right behind the two giants.

Why sell on Allegro?

Allegro is a top-notch, tech-focused ecommerce platform that's taken Poland—and much of Europe—by storm. Since its launch in 1999, it's grabbed huge chunks of the market, dominating electronics with a 62% share, home and garden with 74%, and fashion with 46%. As much as 45% online shopping in Poland takes place on Allegro.

Allegro operates beyond Poland too, providing deliveries across Europe and has it’s recently launched allegro.cz and allegro.sk, opening doors to ecommerce in the CEE region.

With 14.8 million active buyers, Allegro is a goldmine for B2C brands and professional resellers looking to break into the Polish market. 

Europe is the third-largest ecommerce market globally, raking in $498 billion in annual online sales, and Allegro is one of the leading marketplaces, the Polish operations increased YoY GMV by 11% amounting to 54.8bn PLN (approximately 12.6bn euro) This makes Allegro a hotspot for sellers wanting to branch out from eBay and Amazon. 

What’s more, Allegro beats out these giants as the top choice for Polish buyers, with a whopping 75% of people naming it their first pick for online shopping. If you’re eyeing growth in Poland, Allegro is your best bet for easy entry and building brand trust.

Steps to start selling on Allegro

Becoming a verified seller on Allegro is a breeze! First, make sure you have a legitimate registered business to set up your Allegro Business account. Follow the simple steps Allegro provides to verify and activate your account, and you’ll be ready to start selling in no time.

Creating an account on Allegro is absolutely free, and you only pay commission once you sell a product. In addition to that;

Allegro offers three subscription levels to fit your needs:

• Basic subscription: 49 Polish złoty per month
• Professional subscription: 199 Polish złoty per month
• Expert subscription: 3000 Polish złoty per month

The higher the tier, the more cool features you get, like sales statistics, offer tags, and banner ads. Now, for the listing fees—only certain product categories require them. These include automotive products, motorcycles, holidays, machinery, and a few others. 

For most categories on Allegro, you only pay a commission fee when you sell an item. This commission ranges from 4% to 15%, depending on the category.

Top tips for success on Allegro

1. Optimize your product listings

When selling on Allegro, it’s essential to optimize your product listings not just with high-quality images and detailed descriptions, but also in the Polish language. 

Allegro helps you get started;  if you put the right EAN of the product, if it's already in their catalogue, brands don't need to fill in all the information as they are already in the system (descriptions, pictures etc.). Sellers can always modify the default settings and of course need to provide information on guarantee, returns etc.

While Allegro automatically translates listings into Polish, double-checking these translations is a must to ensure they make sense and meet local buyers' expectations. 

Pay attention to industry-specific or product-specific terms and aim for simple language that translates well and is easily understood by Polish consumers.

If you're selling on multiple marketplaces and want to maintain a well-integrated, efficient set-up, marketplace integration software will ensure you're well prepared to manage your Allegro listings effectively.

2. Meet the customers' needs

One of the most important aspects of selling online is meeting the needs and expectations of your customers. That is why ChannelEngine has integrated with One Fulfillment by Allegro. All you need is a Polish VAT number to make use of this service. Want to grow even faster? Discover Allegro’s end-to-end logistics service, to boost your business. This helps you:

• Expand buyer reach 
• Cut costs efficiently 
• Get fast, reliable delivery 
• Get 24/7 customer service
• Get the SMART! badge automatically
• Get support in obtaining Polish tax ID!
• Boost sales:
  • 56% average increase for top 60 sellers.
  • Only 0.4% of offers on Allegro in Poland come with the same-day delivery.
  • Only 12.9% of offers come with next-day delivery in Poland.
  • The average delivery time to Czechia for sellers on allegro.cz is as much as 5 days. With One Fulfillment this is reduced by more than half. 

3. Follow policies and guidelines

Clear and transparent policies for shipping, returns, and customer satisfaction are key to a smooth selling experience. Make sure you’re familiar with Allegro’s policies to avoid any hiccups like account suspension for non-compliance. 

Watch out for common pitfalls like SLA breaches, low customer quality scores, selling restricted or illegal products, committing fraud, or failing to meet quality assurance requirements. 

4. Analyze performance and make improvements

The Allegro Sales Quality dashboard is your best friend when it comes to selling successfully on the platform. This tool gathers data on buyer ratings, customer service performance, offer appeal, order fulfillment efficiency, and any breaches of terms & conditions. 

By keeping a close eye on this dashboard, you can quickly spot areas that need improvement and recognize what’s working well. This proactive approach helps you address issues swiftly and fine-tune your sales strategies for better results.

5. Make customer service a priority

Top-notch customer service is crucial on Allegro. Be quick to respond to inquiries and provide clear product details to help buyers make informed decisions. Make the order process smooth by keeping customers in the loop with transparent updates and tracking information. 

Build trust and loyalty with a hassle-free return policy. Actively encourage and monitor customer feedback to identify areas for improvement, so you can enhance your services and better meet your customers’ needs. Prioritizing customer satisfaction will boost your reputation and ensure a positive and lasting presence on Allegro.

6. Set the right pricing strategy 

Allegro offers a bunch of cool ways to promote and advertise your shop and products. One of the best tools is Allegro Ads, which lets you target specific audiences with budget-friendly pay-per-click campaigns in searches and product listings. You can amp this up with promotions and discounts, using slash sales, coupons, and bundle offers to catch shoppers' eyes and boost sales.

Another great strategy is sponsored products. This boosts your product visibility by placing them at the top of relevant category searches, above the organic results. Plus, Allegro's brand pages are a fantastic way to tell your brand’s story, showcase your products, and highlight promotions with your very own dedicated page on the platform.

Final thoughts

Diving into selling on Allegro is a golden opportunity for online retailers looking to make a splash in Poland and beyond. As the third-largest ecommerce market in Europe, Allegro offers huge growth potential, thanks to its trusted reputation among Polish shoppers and a massive user base. 

Sure, there are costs and rules to follow, but optimizing your listings in Polish, sticking to the guidelines, and delivering top-notch customer service are your keys to success on this platform. By tapping into Allegro’s vast market and adopting best practices, you’ll set yourself up to thrive.