E-commerce fulfillment in Poland: where location meets logistics expertise

No matter what sector of business you’re in, Poland is an excellent strategic choice for e-commerce companies.

If you’re a European company with customers in Poland or neighboring countries, or if you’re a company from outside of Europe wishing to reach end consumers in the region, then Poland is a great option for you.

For non-European companies, Poland is also a great base in which to consolidate your bulk inbound shipments. By importing in bulk into a European warehouse and clearing customs once, you avoid individual per-parcel cross-border customs fees and delays that may result from EU de minimis customs handling activities.

1. Strategic location
   Poland is located right at the geographic center of Europe and has several substantial industrial hubs. From those on its western border, goods can reach the major market of Germany within 24 hours. “Germany is a significant end destination for a lot of our customers,” says Piotr Wadowski, Country Sales Manager Poland, DHL Fulfillment Network. “They make the strategic decision to warehouse stock with us in Poland, close to the German border. We pick and pack their orders here in Poland, then dispatch them to last-mile providers who get them to their end customers in Germany. It’s a very popular approach to servicing the German market.”
   
   Although Germany is a key market, companies are looking at Poland more broadly, as a location from which they can reach many other European markets across CEE too – for example, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine.
   
   In addition, geopolitical changes have caused many Western European countries to nearshore manufacturing and distribution away from Asia Pacific and closer to home, and Poland has benefitted from this trend. 
2. Highly developed e-commerce environment
   Polish e-commerce has undergone a significant transformation in recent years. Online shopping has become increasingly popular and logistics infrastructure has evolved rapidly too. “Poland is also a demanding e-commerce market. Consumers expect a wide choice of delivery options and very fast fulfillment. More and more people expect late cut-off times and next-day delivery as standard, and so logistics solutions here have developed to meet these high expectations,” notes Piotr.” 
3. Skilled workforce
   Poland boasts a strong labor market, with unemployment around 3%, well below the European average.  “Because the e-commerce logistics sector in Poland is mature, our customers benefit from access to experienced teams that are skilled in managing fulfillment operations and scaling them as volumes grow,” says Piotr. As the logistics industry has modernized, the country has seen a surge in roles for supply chain planners, data analysts and process optimization managers, further driving increasingly advanced logistics capabilities.
4. Cost efficiency
   Poland offers a competitive overall operating environment, supported by factors such as real estate, supplier ecosystems and access to a skilled workforce. “For many customers, Poland provides an attractive combination of operational capability, connectivity and cost competitiveness compared with other European logistics locations,” says Piotr. “Its proximity to Germany and other key markets is one of the reasons why many customers choose Poland as a fulfillment location for serving consumers across Europe.”
5. Modern industrial hubs
   The growth of modern industrial and logistics space has been rapid in Poland. Dedicated warehouses have been developed with modern facilities with future-ready automation integration, particularly in the hubs of Warsaw, Poznań, Wrocław, Łódź and Gdańsk.
6. Multi-modal infrastructure
   Road: a modern motorway network connects Polish hubs with major hubs in neighboring countries.
   Maritime: Poland has a major Baltic hub in Gdańsk, the primary deep-water container terminal in the Baltics for shipments from Asia.
   Rail: Poland is the primary eastern gateway for rail freight between Europe and Asia.. 
7. Strong carrier network
   Poland has one of Europe’s most competitive road freight fleets, with many domestic and last-mile carriers available. Piotr points us to DHL’s 2026 E-Commerce Trends Report which surveyed 29,000 individuals and 5,800 e-commerce businesses, and notes that: “In Poland, over 80% of people choose parcel lockers for deliveries and returns. This generates efficiencies for last-mile carriers in terms of their journeys and parcel handling.”
8. EU mebership
   “The fact that we’re a member of the European Union (EU),” notes Piotr, “means that goods can move freely within the 27 states of the bloc. If customs clearance is needed, then it takes place just once, and after that, customers can expect no more internal border delays.”

“When we look at all the benefits of our location, our workforce and our company’s infrastructure, then the services we offer at DHL Fulfillment Network really make Poland a very unique place for customers,” smiles Piotr.

“We deliver flexible, scalable warehousing and fulfillment. Our customers can have periods of business-as-usual, then when they enter a peak period, they can increase how much stock we’re carrying and in turn we can increase the number of orders we’re picking, packing and dispatching. And then when the peak season has finished, they can scale back down.” Piotr continues: “This flexibility is a major draw for them, especially when they are perhaps trialing a new product or aiming to reach a new customer segment.”

“We get new customers on board in just a matter of weeks,” says Piotr, “and we integrate with their webshops or ERPs with ease. During all of this, we stay in close contact with them, to ensure the onboarding period is as smooth as possible.”

All customers of the DHL Fulfillment Network benefit from our advanced inventory insights, a tool that allows them to see stock levels and movements by location, giving them valuable data on which to base informed decisions.

“DHL Fulfillment Network has a significant network of warehouses across Europe – and, in fact globally – which means we can support customers as they expand. So, if one of our customers in Spain grows a customer base in Central Europe, for example, they can then benefit from the capabilities of the wider network,” Piotr notes. “This reduces last mile delivery costs and means they can reach their end consumers more quickly. It can also reduce last-mile emissions, which should resonate well with today’s consumers, given that a significant proportion of Polish consumers only buy from retailers that partner with sustainable delivery providers, as noted in the e-commerce trends report.”

One of DHL’s biggest advantages is that our capabilities do not end with fulfilment. Whether a customer is shipping a small parcel, a heavy product or a palletised shipment, within DHL we have experts and transportation solutions suited to different requirements – from DHL eCommerce and DHL Freight to the global DHL Express network. “This means our customers can combine fulfilment in Poland with efficient distribution across Europe and, when speed is critical, with express delivery to markets around the world.”

“So, if you’re at a crossroads in your business, and planning to grow in CEE, we strongly recommend you consider Poland. I would sum Poland up by saying that we have one of the most dynamic and advanced e-commerce markets in the region, a strategic location, modern logistics infrastructure and highly experienced teams,” concludes Piotr.

Reach your customers easily and cost efficiently by choosing the right logistics provider in Poland. Look for a provider that is established and can help you grow. Talk to Piotr or your local in-country expert today to find out what we can do for you.

Learn more about our other Central and Eastern European locations here to find your ideal logistics hub.