If you've been following polish eCommerce news on a regular basis then you've surely heard about InPost's stepped-up efforts to protect the Paczkomat® trademark. What else has happened in the industry recently? The most interesting news from the world of e-commerce awaits you in the 39th edition of Advox Press. Find out more about the new service from Poczta Polska and consumer expectations formulated in the Interaktywnie.com report. Will you read?
Poczta Polska supports the development of the pharmaceutical industry in eCommerce
There are already more than 150 online pharmacies on the Polish eCommerce market - what direction is the virtual development of the pharmaceutical industry heading?
Poles are increasingly taking advantage of e-pharmacies, as evidenced by the fact that 16% of Internet users already buy medicines online. However, the speed of development of this segment is slowed down by restrictive pharmaceutical law regulations, as well as the specificity of the offer itself. Polish legislation only permits the online sale of drugs without a prescription. Security and product storage issues during delivery are also a limitation. To meet the logistical needs of e-pharmacies, the Poczta Polska (Polish Post) has come out with its new service, Pocztex Thermo Tracking. How does it work?
Thermo Tracking is nothing more than an innovative way to monitor the temperature inside shipments. Verification is carried out at each of the stages of delivery - order receipt, carriage and delivery of the parcel. Constant control over the goods' contents combined with fast courier delivery guarantees safe and efficient transport of pharmaceuticals even to the most distant places in Poland.
The benefits of implementing the service have been noticed by pharmacies that have decided to cooperate with Poczta Polska - the number of parcels sent by them has increased by 20%.
You can read more about Thermo Tracking here. Does the industry in which you operate also require specialized solutions?
Paczkomat®, or how to correctly call the service of logistics operator InPost?
You can order a shipment to a Paczkomat® machine, pick up an order from a Paczkomat® machine or safely return products via Paczkomat® - this is the way the word Paczkomat® is used, as recommended by InPost, the author of the most popular logistics solution in Poland. Does this mean that the consumer, on his way to pick up the purchased products, will have to " be careful with words"? Not necessarily, since the operator is only making recommendations to its competitors in the market. What is the purpose of the above action?
The answer is simple and is related to the protection of the Paczkomat trademark, which was registered by the company as early as 2009 with the Polish Patent Office. This means that InPost can prohibit the commercial use of the graphic sign to other entities and thus build a stable brand of its own. However, due to the popularity of the solution, the word Paczkomat itself is increasingly being used in the common language for all types of parcel machines on the market.
The result of the above action in the future may be the complete loss of the distinctiveness of the expression, which is equivalent to the termination of the right to exclusive use of the trademark. A real threat arose when the Poczta Polska (Polish Post) applied to the relevant authority for cancellation of the sign. It is for these reasons that InPost is careful to maintain consistency in communicating about its own services. In recent days, the company's customers, i.e. eCommerce owners, received an email reminding them not to decline the word "Paczkomat" on e-commerce sites. There have been some cases of online stores using the incorrect phrase in their shopping carts, shipping forms or other places on the site, and such procedures tend to perpetuate the commonly used meaning of the word.
The actions of Rafal Brzoska's company have stirred up controversy among many Internet users - what do you think of them? You can also read about them at this link.
Does this year belong to omnichannel sales? Interaktywnie.com report
From week to week we hear about new ideas implemented by online stores. However, how are the behavior and needs of e-buyers changing in the first months of 2023?
All indications are that 2023 will be marked by consistent online and offline experiences in line with the omnichannel strategy. After two years subjected to isolation and limitations, customers feel the need to return to more personal interactions while shopping. The dynamic growth of eCommerce has changed, however, expectations of stationary stores - shoppers are paying special attention to convenience, ease of transaction and shopping experience.
How to sell according to the idea of omnichannel? It is worth paying attention to:
- presence on a variety of platforms for ongoing communication with the customer (e.g. social media, newsletters, banner ads),
- the ability to place an order in an online store and pick it up in a stationary store,
- use of new technologies (e.g. VR, AR) to expand the customer experience.
Shopping in line with omnichannel one of the trends presented in the Interaktywnie.com report titled: "e-commerce 2023. The study is not only a summary of the most popular directions towards which the eCommerce industry is heading. It is also a guide on how to effectively run an online store in the coming months
Want to learn more? Read the full version of the raport.
