E-commerce expansion in Europe: how to grow in new markets without increasing logistics costs

Polish e-commerce has come of age, and the next steps in its development are increasingly taking it abroad. Whether this expansion will be profitable depends largely on logistics: where the goods are stored, how quickly they reach the customer, and what happens when a customer wants to return them. We explain how to approach this and how InPost Fulfillment works – a single network connecting seven markets across Europe.

Why is the domestic market no longer sufficient?

The Polish e-commerce market continues to grow, but the pace of growth is clearly slowing down. According to the European E-commerce Report 2026 (Ecommerce Europe), the value of the Polish B2C market is set to reach €51.6 billion in 2026, which is 9 per cent more than the previous year. Online shopping is now part of everyday life: according to the report ‘E-commerce in Poland 2026’ (Gemius), 93 per cent of Polish internet users visit shopping websites or apps every month, and 53 per cent do so every day. This is a figure that remains impressive, but for large retailers it also means ever-increasing competition for the same customer.

When a market is saturated, expansion becomes the natural course of action. Markets that are growing faster than the Polish market are particularly attractive. According to the CTT E-Commerce Report 2025, published by the Portuguese postal service CTT and cited by the International Post Corporation (IPC), the value of online purchases in the Iberian Peninsula exceeded 110 billion euros in 2024, with growth of 13.7 per cent and a figure in excess of 125 billion euros forecast for 2025. In Spain alone, the number of online shoppers rose by 6 per cent in 2024, to around 27.8 million people. This is a scale that cannot be ignored, and at the same time, a market in which a local logistics presence makes a significant difference.

The greatest cost of expansion is its complexity

Entering a new market usually starts with the product offering and marketing, but it is logistics that determines the profit margin. Every new country potentially means a separate warehouse, carrier, system and returns procedure. With each new market, the number of partners with whom you need to coordinate increases, and for companies sending over 100,000 parcels a year, this cost of complexity is significantly higher than the cost of transport itself. That is why more and more retailers are looking for a solution that allows them to grow without adding further links to the supply chain.

One network, seven markets: how InPost Fulfillment works

InPost Fulfillment is the solution to this problem. It is based on a single network that connects seven European markets and enables orders to be dispatched abroad as part of a unified solution, without the need to organise separate logistics in each country. The network is underpinned by fulfilment centres in three locations: Poland, Spain and the Canary Islands, meaning that goods can be stored closer to the customer, whilst the seller can also ensure timely delivery to the Canary Islands.

This success is down to the scale of the entire InPost Group. In the second quarter of 2026, the group handled 380.9 million parcels (+16 per cent year-on-year), whilst growth in the eurozone stood at 30 per cent. For the first time, the group’s international revenue (54 per cent) exceeded its revenue from Poland (46 per cent). This means that the network used by retailers entering the European market is now, in practical terms, European. Support in Spain comes from the acquisition of Sending, a Spanish courier and fulfilment services operator, finalised in July 2025. According to an InPost press release, 155 logistics centres were added to the network at that time, which, together with the existing infrastructure, brought the total to over 170 such facilities in Spain, with the service coverage extending to include, amongst others, the Canary Islands.

Fulfillment without empty journeys

The key principle behind InPost Fulfillment is that transport operates in both directions. Within a single solution, we handle outbound B2B2C shipments, returns and stock replenishment. Replenishment is two-way, and daily line-haul services operate between the network’s hubs, i.e. regular transport of goods between them. The same flow therefore handles dispatches, returns and stock replenishment, without any empty runs.

This is important because returns are not a marginal issue: according to Gemius, 72 per cent of people who returned purchases used a parcel locker, and 71 per cent of respondents consider it the most convenient method of returning goods. A retailer who has returns integrated into the same workflow as dispatches can plan stock more accurately and respond more quickly to changes in demand.

Complex logistics do not necessarily mean complex operations. At InPost Fulfillment, integration with the WMS is straightforward, and the entire operation is managed from a single control centre. This means fewer systems to maintain and a single point from which you can view the entire operation, regardless of which centre the order is dispatched from or which market it is destined for.

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Collection from the customer: via parcel lockers and OOH collection points

E-commerce logistics ends with the customer, and their experience is often determined by how conveniently they can collect their parcel. The InPost network, used by customers of InPost Fulfillment sellers, is growing very rapidly. At the end of June 2026, the group had 68,925 Paczkomat machines (around 30,000 in Poland, 23,400 in the eurozone and 15,600 in the UK and Ireland); together with PUDO points, the network comprised 98,200 collection and drop-off points across Europe. There are around 5,000 Paczkomat machines operating on the Iberian Peninsula, and in the second quarter of 2026 alone, over 4,200 new APMs were launched across the group, an average of over 46 per day. For retailers, this means they can offer customers collection at a place and time that suits them, without having to organise such a network themselves.

Who is InPost Fulfillment for?

This solution is aimed at large e-commerce companies that are planning to sell, or are already selling, in European markets and wish to streamline their logistics by reducing the number of partners. It works particularly well where shipments, returns and stock replenishment are to be handled within a single model, and the company wishes to have a single integration and a single centre for managing the entire operation.

We’re transforming the world of logistics so your e-commerce business can grow

International expansion is one of the most important decisions in the development of a large e-commerce business, and logistics is its most challenging aspect. That is why at InPost Fulfillment we are building a single network, a single solution and a single integration, so that retailers can focus on sales. We are transforming the world of logistics to make expansion into new markets simpler and more predictable.

Are you planning to expand your e-commerce business in Europe? Get in touch with us and find out how InPost Fulfillment can support your business.

Data sources:

Gemius, PBI, IAB Polska, Kozminski University, the report ‘E-commerce in Poland 2026’ (30 September 2026).

Ecommerce Europe, European E-commerce Report 2026, as described on ecommercenews.pl (24 September 2026).

CTT E-Commerce Report 2025, in the description of International Post Corporation (3 December 2025).

InPost, press release announcing the completion of the acquisition of Sending (July 2025).