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Fire at a Wildberries warehouse in St. Petersburg, July 24 (Photo: REUTERS/Stringer)
Prices offered by Russia’s major online retailer Wildberries
rose 10%–30% within days after Ukrainian strikes on its warehouses, independent
outlet The Moscow Times reported on July 31.
One reseller operating on Wildberries told the paper that prices for items left in her shopping cart rose 30% in a week. Other buyers who had chosen items but not yet paid estimated increases of 10%–35%.
Sellers on the platform also reported price increases of 3%–30% and said they had not changed their own prices. They blamed the rises on the cancellation of discounts that Wildberries had been providing.
The Moscow Times said Wildberries can unilaterally offer discounts, provided the difference in price is paid for by the platform. Sellers said the cancellation of these subsidized discounts has been widespread.
“Wildberries has simply canceled almost all the promotions it ran at its own expense,” said a large seller who operates on four leading Russian online marketplaces.
“That’s understandable — it’s trying to restore logistics and will have to cover losses from burned warehouses. But the result is that everything is noticeably more expensive.”
Delivery times also indicate logistics problems. Ten sellers surveyed said delivery times have increased from two–four days to nearly 10 days.
Following Wildberries, prices rose on its closest competitor, Ozon, even though its logistics infrastructure has not been damaged.
“As is often the case, significant moves by Wildberries are mirrored by its main competitors. We see that discounts on Ozon have been cut as well,” one seller said.
Another seller confirmed Ozon drastically reduced its own
discounts. For some items, mostly clothing and footwear, that seller said the
effective commission exceeded 60%. “As a result, sales have fallen sharply not
only on Wildberries but on Ozon as well,” he added.
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