Generalizes on the best strategy to enter the market, e.g., visiting the country; importance of relationships to finding a good partner; use of agents.
Last Published: 6/13/2019

Poland’s population is widely dispersed. A quarter of Poles live in rural areas, while urban dwellers are spread among many population centers, including Warsaw and Lodz in the center of the country, Krakow and Katowice in the south, Wroclaw and Poznan in the west, Gdansk and Szczecin in the north, and Lublin in the southeast. 

Urban consumers generally have greater purchasing power than their rural counterparts. Personal contact with the customer is critical and final purchasing decisions typically require a face-to-face meeting.  Success in this market typically requires an in-country presence, such as an agent, distributor, or representative office. 

While the number of English speakers in Poland is rising, particularly in cities, communication in Polish is recommended to elicit prompt responses to offers and inquiries and to facilitate negotiations.  Poland’s communication network is relatively well developed, and e-mail communications and website offerings are an effective means of reaching local buyers. 

Pricing is the most critical factor in positioning a product or service for sale in Poland.  Access to capital is difficult for most Polish firms, and business transactions are typically self-financed.  U.S. firms that can arrange financing will have a competitive edge.  U.S. exporters should develop a creative strategy for financing exports.  . Pricing is always a challenge for some U.S. exporters, especially as Poles often make decisions on price alone.  Careful crafting of terms of sale, including creative packaging of currency and pricing terms, will help U.S. exporters gain a long-term advantage in the current Polish market.


 

 

Prepared by our U.S. Embassies abroad. With its network of 108 offices across the United States and in more than 75 countries, the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce utilizes its global presence and international marketing expertise to help U.S. companies sell their products and services worldwide. Locate the U.S. Commercial Service trade specialist in the U.S. nearest you by visiting http://export.gov/usoffices.