Comarch’s share in the market for IT solutions for enterprise management in Poland is growing. According to the report “Poland Enterprise Application Software Market Analysis and 2020 Vendor Shares”, prepared by the analytical company IDC, it amounts to 21.5 per cent. Such a result gives Comarch the position of the largest Polish provider of ERP systems on the domestic market and the second place in the ranking of software houses, taking into account both Polish and foreign companies. In addition, Comarch is the only software house from the top three whose market share increased compared to the previous year, while the other two companies saw declines.

According to IDC, the total value of the business management IT solutions market in Poland is USD 307.47 million, up 2.6 per cent from 2019.

On the wave of digitisation 

The authors of the report “Poland Enterprise Application Software Market Analysis and 2020 Vendor Shares” indicate in the document that for the first time the dynamics of the market of the market of IT systems for enterprise management (EAS, Enterprise Application Suite), was not linked to the GDP indicator, which shrank by 2.8 per cent in 2020. Such a phenomenon is a result of the growing demand for IT systems among Polish enterprises. With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, companies have been much more willing to purchase tools to digitise business and administrative processes to ensure business continuity, including allowing employees to perform their duties remotely. Also evident in 2020 was an increase in interest in cloud services, e-commerce solutions, data analytics systems and software for organising areas within a company not previously considered critical, such as procurement, supply chain or Customer Relationship Management (CRM). 

IDC analysts also noted that Polish entrepreneurs are beginning to see the advantages of new technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI) and robotisation of business processes (RPA), which allow to increase productivity and efficiency of a company's operations and reduce operating costs.

“A wide range of Comarch ERP systems allows us to address almost all of these companies' business needs. Our products are constantly developed and supplemented with technologies and functionalities which are an important support for companies on their way to digitalization, and at the same time they introduce management models allowing to build business resilience to unexpected micro and macroeconomic crises. And such an event was undoubtedly the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. In 2020, Polish companies willingly invested in purchasing Comarch ERP systems, because these IT tools gave them a guarantee of business continuity and security”, says Zbigniew Rymarczyk, vice-president of the Management Board of Comarch and ERP sector director.

In 2020, revenues from sales of Comarch ERP systems increased by 11 per cent compared to 2019 and reached PLN 206.2 million. The company maintains its good performance in 2021 as well, and after the first six months recorded double-digit growth in ERP software sales.

The financial result was also strongly influenced by the sale of systems to support new legal regulations – e.g. the PPK (Employee Capital Plans) savings programme or the obligation to report according to ESEF (Single European Reporting Format) standards. European Single Electronic Format).

“The development of systems and functionalities that enable companies to meet the legal obligations introduced by the legislator have always been crucial in the research and development of ERP systems. The programmes are always in line with current legislation and continuously updated in subsequent versions. If new legal obligations are introduced, such as PPK or ESEF, and e-reporting before that, the relevant systems are available well in advance so that entrepreneurs can plan the purchase and implementation of the programme”, emphasises Zbigniew Rymarczyk.

An effective strategy 

Investments in R&D, expansion of the cloud services offer and the use of artificial intelligence and robotics technologies in ERP systems are some of the elements that the authors of the report point to as the basis for Comarch's very good standing in the ERP systems segment. 

The diversified product portfolio, flexibility and scalability of our systems allow us to adapt the functionality to the specifics of almost any business segment. In addition, the intuitive nature of the solutions and the ease of use, as well as the increasing use of artificial intelligence and robotisation in each successive software version, allow us to conduct business with companies in industries such as manufacturing, services and trade. Such a wide area of activity allows us to strengthen our position among ERP system providers in Poland. The adopted strategy brings results and translates into financial performance, at the same time providing a stable basis for further development”, Zbigniew Rymarczyk concludes. 

“Digital transformation has been taking place for several years and has had a key impact on the ERP market. COVID-19 has definitely accelerated this process. Despite the period of uncertainty at the start of the pandemic, many organisations chose to continue their investment in management systems to ensure business continuity and enable rapid adaptation to changing market conditions. More and more small and medium-sized companies needed mobile working tools in a cloud model. The business results show that Comarch has accurately diagnosed market trends and matched clients’ needs perfectly”, says Wiktor Markiewicz, senior research analyst at IDC EMEA.