Should there be discounts: the State Duma is discussing a bill on regulating online commerce

The first reading of the bill on the platform economy, which regulates the relations of marketplaces with their partners and users, has passed in the State Duma. The document introduces a definition of the most important concepts in this area, as well as regulates the activities of digital platforms. Thus, it is planned to establish stricter requirements for the placement of product cards, as well as create rules for sellers' interaction with platforms. It is expected that as a result, buyers will be better protected from counterfeiting, and small businesses will receive transparent rules for working in a digital environment. However, the development of the bill has sparked a discussion among online and offline retailers, which continues against the background of finalizing the bill for the second reading. In particular, the issue of discounts, search results and the fight against counterfeiting is being discussed. About what this bill is for and how it will affect entrepreneurs and buyers, see the Izvestia article.

What is the law about

The draft law, developed by the Ministry of Economic Development, was submitted to the State Duma for consideration by the Russian government on July 3. The discussion of the document lasted more than two hours, but after that the deputies unanimously supported its concept, noting the need for improvements for the second reading.

Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov, presenting the law to the deputies, stressed the need to regulate online commerce. He cited data according to which in 2024 marketplaces completed more than 6 billion orders, and about 1 million sellers work on the platforms. According to him, the new Federal Law introduces uniform rules for all market participants: platform operators, sellers, buyers and delivery services.

So, in order to protect the interests of buyers, platforms will be required to check data on sellers through state registers. It will be prohibited to publish product cards without mentioning the availability of the necessary certificates, licenses, and labeling. For example, unregistered medicines and dietary supplements, agrochemicals and pesticides will not be allowed to be sold.

There is also a ban on manipulating user output. If the buyer chooses to sort according to a certain criterion, the platform does not have the right to artificially change the order of goods by promoting advertising positions.

Fighting the imposition

Public figures also emphasize the high importance of the bill. Thus, Oleg Pavlov, chairman of the Public Consumer Initiative, explained to Izvestia that mechanisms to ensure transparency in the search and ranking of goods are very necessary to protect the interests of the buyer.

"In addition, marketplaces should be prohibited from creating advantages for their own products or services when ranking and implementing search results," he said.

Ilya Bukharin, founder of the Marketplace Partners Club, explained to Izvestia that the ban on changing search results has a positive impact on the development of small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs).

— This equalizes sellers and gives SMEs a chance for organic growth. And SMEs are the core of marketplaces.: individual entrepreneurs, self-employed.

In addition, there will be a simplified return of low-quality products. To do this, the platforms will be required to create a technical opportunity for the user to communicate with the seller.

"Now, in some cases, the filing of consumer claims and lawsuits is difficult due to the inability to fully identify the seller, his legal and actual address," explains the head of the OPI.

Vadim Kovrigin, Associate Professor at the Institute of Economics, Management and Law at Moscow State Pedagogical University, shares a similar opinion. According to him, the bill eliminates a significant part of the risks borne by both sellers and buyers.

— The regulatory legal act will provide for equal and transparent conditions of participation for all sellers, and buyers will receive a clear and understandable algorithm for returning goods. The number of unscrupulous sellers will also be reduced, as platforms will be required to check them before they are allowed on the platform," he explained.

Taking care of business

The second set of regulations is dedicated to protecting the interests of sellers. Now, according to the law, the site will have to notify 45 days in advance about the changes to the offer. The contract, among other things, will describe all possible sanctions that the platform can apply to a partner, the grounds for their introduction, and the procedure for the seller to appeal marketplace decisions. Thus, entrepreneurs will receive a mechanism to appeal against any measures in electronic form, and if the platform does not respond to the request, it will be automatically satisfied in favor of the seller.

As Ilya Bukharin explained to Izvestia, the sellers' biggest problem was the sudden changes in the offer, which a couple of years ago could have been announced in one day.

— Thanks to the new law, it is clear that now there will be a 45—day warning about changes in the offer - this is definitely positive for all sellers. A month and a half is enough to rebuild our own processes for the innovation of the marketplace and adapt," he said.

The associations representing the interests of sellers also welcome the provision on early warning of changes in the offer. As the Acting Executive Director of the Association of E-Commerce Market Participants (AUREK) noted in a conversation with Izvestia Evgenia Chernitskaya, "45 days is a fantastic period."

Ilya Bukharin adds that sellers were also very concerned about automatic discounts.

— Automatic promotions and discounts were a big pain for sellers, when the platform automatically included the seller's goods in promotional projects. In the spring, both Ozon and Wildberries were given the opportunity to refuse to participate in such actions, and the new law now officially prohibits this," the expert clarified.

Thus, a reduction in the price of goods at the expense of the seller will occur upon notification of the seller five days in advance and only upon receipt of his consent.

Disputes about discounts

At the same time, the bill does not impose restrictions on discounts that platforms make on entrepreneurs' goods, which the government is asking retail and some online platforms to do. In their opinion, unlimited discounts on platforms can lead to a monopolization of the market, the departure of sellers and manufacturers, and an increase in prices for goods.

However, consumer and small business associations are sure of the opposite: if discounts are limited, it is buyers and small businesses who will lose. Vladimir Slepak, co-chairman of the Consumer Union of Russia, noted that with a large number of Russians in need of social protection, the opportunity to purchase goods at a low price is extremely important.

— We live in a welfare state, and our sociality is determined by statistics. We have 42 million pensioners, about 12 million disabled people, more than 4 million single mothers, and about 2.5 million large families. Low marketplace prices counteract high inflation and have a positive impact on savings, consumption, production, investment and, in general, on conditions for sustainable economic development," he stressed.

Representatives of small businesses have a similar opinion. Alexey Moskvalenko, president of APET (Association of Electronic Commerce Representatives), told Izvestia that about 80% of sellers surveyed by the organization would like to keep them.

The deputies themselves speak out against the idea. Artem Kiryanov, deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy, called the retailers' initiative an attempt to kill small businesses and get into people's wallets.

However, the head of the State Duma Committee on Industry and Trade, Vladimir Gutenev, in a conversation with the Parliamentary Newspaper, noted that discounts due to marketplaces are one of the issues that deputies will discuss by the second reading.

What else do retailers want?

The main complaint of traditional retail chains is that the bill does not equalize the working conditions of online and offline players. Experts agree that the current regulation is stricter in traditional retail, but the essence of the problem is not in online platforms, but in outdated offline sales legislation.

This opinion was expressed by Maxim Oreshkin, Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation, at the Conference of Innovative e-Commerce Technologies, which was held on April 17. He stated that the regulation of traditional retail does not correspond to reality and needs to be reviewed. This position was also supported by Maxim Reshetnikov, Minister of Economic Development, noting that government efforts should be aimed not at tightening control over online commerce, but at eliminating existing imbalances offline.

Vladimir Putin also spoke about this during his speech at SPIEF 2025. The President asked for a careful analysis of the current regulation of traditional trade rather than digital trade, stressing that it does not meet modern challenges and opportunities.

The Ministry of Economic Development, which drafted the bill, also emphasizes that the goal of the initiative is to increase the transparency of online commerce and protect the rights of citizens, partners of digital platforms and users. At the same time, all retail's proposals were considered during the regulatory impact assessment and meetings of the regulatory guillotine working groups, and some of the initiatives were taken into account, the agency emphasizes.

Alexey Moskalenko, the head of APET, also noted that the organization took part in the development of the draft law and believes that the most important proposals have been taken into account. Grigory Bazhenov, an economist, PhD in Economics, and lecturer at the Higher School of Economics, agrees with him.

— The draft law comprehensively reflects all the most relevant issues for customers, removes the risks that are currently present for them when purchasing goods on marketplaces. When the law comes into force, buyers will be fully protected from purchasing low-quality products. It is interesting that offline retailers are dissatisfied with the current draft law, but the criticism of the initiatives on their part does not reflect the needs of customers and is rather related to the desire to defend the commercial interests of traditional offline networks, the expert believes.