The largest Russian online retailer Wildberries has set a requirement for suppliers at a 25% discount on their goods to participate in a sale on the marketplace from November 4 to 10, three top managers of companies that supply Wildberries told Vedomosti. According to them, in case of refusal to provide a discount, the marketplace removes the product from sale until November 11.
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“We were given conditions: either reduce the price by a quarter, or we remove your product from sale for a week. In fact, with such a discount, we sell goods at cost or at a loss. It turns out that we have no choice, because Wildberries are a quarter of our company’s revenue, ”said one of Vedomosti’s interlocutors.
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These conditions were confirmed to Vedomosti in the Wildberries press service. “If the seller does not participate in the promotion, then his product temporarily becomes unavailable for sale in accordance with the rules of the online platform, so as not to mislead consumers who are expecting discounts on the days of large sales, to exclude the possibility of abuse of the promotion,” said the representative marketplace.
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According to Vedomosti’s interlocutors, some suppliers complain that the marketplace has independently set a 25% discount on their products. Vedomosti has at its disposal a copy of the letter from the support service (WB Support), which was sent to suppliers in response to complaints. In it, the manager says that “to increase customer loyalty and overall sales, a discount was offered from our side for the entire assortment.”
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“This discount is not removed and is affixed at your expense. In accordance with the terms of the offer, affixing a discount is allowed. You can remove the discounts after the end of all major promotions on the portal, ”the marketplace support service said. The co-owner of the supplier company confirmed the authenticity of the letter from the support service to Vedomosti. According to him, a 25% discount was still applied to the goods of some brands that refused to participate in the promotion. A similar response from the Wildberries support manager was previously published by the “Ruthless PR Man” telegram channel.
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The Wildberries press service reported that “participation in any action is voluntary – the suppliers independently make the appropriate decisions.” “If the seller does not participate in the promotion, then his product temporarily becomes unavailable for sale in accordance with the rules of the online platform,” the press service of the marketplace explained.
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However, in response to the complaint, the interlocutor of Vedomosti received a letter stating that if the seller is not ready to participate in the action, then the marketplace is ready to terminate the partnership.
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“Good afternoon, dear partners, your participation in this action is very important for us. If you are not ready to participate in it, we do not mind hiding your product from sale. Indicate your TIN, we will hide your product from sale and prepare documents for closing the partnership. We are not ready for further cooperation with disloyal sellers, “the letter says (Vedomosti has a copy, the authenticity was confirmed by one of Vedomosti’s interlocutors who received such a letter).
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Ahead is one of the biggest annual sales – 11.11, or Black Friday. Suppliers fear that the marketplace will again set the same conditions, but on Black Friday the discount from suppliers should be at least 35%, Denis Vetrennikov, head of the center for additional packaging and delivery of goods to marketplaces, told Vedomosti. “Last year, the marketplace set similar conditions. We fear that this year will be the same. Sellers of low-margin goods will be at a loss, plus the pandemic has significantly worsened the position of all sellers without exception, ”the source said.
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The Wildberries press service said that most of the sellers “support participation in the action, since every year it demonstrates ever higher results.” In 2019, according to a representative of the marketplace, 2 million Russians took part in the “World Shopping Day” at Wildberries, who placed 4 million orders, “the turnover of sellers has doubled, this year we expect even more successful results”, – noted the representative of Wildberries.
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