Yandex.Market will start importing clothing, footwear, food, sports, health, beauty, DIY products for sale on its marketplace.
The market itself will certify goods in the Russian Federation, deliver them and handle customs clearance:
This greatly facilitates market access for companies that do not have experience in deliveries to Russia.
At the first stage, in March, Yandex.Market will start selling WalkingPad brand treadmills and BestWay leisure and leisure products under this scheme. Other brands in the company have not yet been disclosed, but they also do not exclude a scenario in which for some of them the company will be the exclusive importer to Russia in the future.
The company explained the decision to develop direct purchases, and not connect foreign sellers to the Market, as is usually the case in the cross-border trade segment, by the fact that such a model allows us to offer buyers a “unique assortment”.
Market experts note that the direct import model, especially for large-sized goods with a low sales frequency, is associated with significant financial costs and risks for the site itself. This is a freezing of working capital, logistics costs, risks of marriage, and return.
Alexander Ivanov, President of the National Association of Distance Selling has been quoted saying:
Yandex.Market, like other marketplaces, has a desire to stand out in the market, but its own import does not look like an obvious step yet.
Source: Kommersant
