Marketplace sellers reported increased competition and commission fatigue

The Russian marketplace market is entering a transformation phase: for sustainable growth, it is no longer enough for sellers to compete only with price — a long-term strategy is coming to the fore. Thus, 38% of entrepreneurs say the main problem of the coming year is increased competition. This is evidenced by the research data of the agency "IC Position", which was reviewed on January 29 by Izvestia.

Marketplace commissions remain one of the key points of tension. 35% of sellers expect a reduction in tariffs, and 26% explicitly call this their main expectation from the sites. At the same time, 28% of market participants are preparing to transform the discount system — both those that marketplaces set on top of the seller's price, and programs related, for example, to paying with their own bank cards. A significant role here was played by the emerging conflict of interests between marketplaces and the banking sector.

Other expectations of entrepreneurs include the introduction of new rules for checking and confirming the quality of goods (22%), more transparent terms of cooperation in terms of payments and refunds (21%). Another 31% of respondents are in favor of fixing the terms of the offer with changes no more than once every six months.

Forecasts for the coming year demonstrate a high level of pragmatism and the expectation of increased government control. First of all, we are talking about an increase in attention from the tax authorities — 30% of respondents expect this. One in five (20%) expects further development of the warehouse infrastructure in the short term.

Sellers see the future of marketplace ecosystems through the prism of security and expanding influence. The survey participants put the development of rights protection systems and fraud prevention mechanisms in the first place (35%). The expansion of the geographical presence (28%) and deeper integration with social networks for promotion through content marketing (27%) were also among the priorities. Almost one in five respondents (18%) expects closer interaction of platforms with government agencies.

Cash discrimination: adjustment of the law after a dispute over discounts on marketplaces may be postponed

The conflict between banks and online platforms forced the Central Bank to listen to both sides, and public figures refuted all the arguments of financiers.

Earlier, on November 18, the head of Sberbank, German Gref, told the Central Bank of Russia's Focus on the Customer conference that marketplaces had underpaid about 1.5 trillion rubles to the budget this year due to discounts. According to him, such programs lead to a distortion of the competitive environment, since traditional retail cannot operate in such conditions.

On November 20, the heads of Russian banks made a proposal to ban direct discounts and bonus programs for marketplaces. An exception was planned to be made for their own products of marketplaces and socially significant product categories.

In turn, Wildberries (WB) founder Tatiana Kim said on November 21 that marketplaces have always been a socially responsible business, and approval of this initiative could lead to higher inflation.

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