Nearly 20 Russian retailers will be available on AliExpress at start, said Mark Zavadsky, GM of Alibaba Russia, EWDN reports. These companies include marketplace Wikimart.ru, online retailers Tehnosila.ru and 220-volt.ru, as well as such international brands operating in Russia as Redmond, L’Oreal and Baon. More Russian partners will be able to join the platform in the future, Zavadsky added, the source cites.
These new offers will be displayed in the “AliExpress Mall,” a section of the AliExpress website. The conditions are similar to those applied to Chinese vendors, who pay to AliExpress a 5% commission on orders. So far, AliExpress has been selling essentially Chinese products preferred by Russian online consumers who appreciate low prices and large assortment.
The inclusion of more offers from Russian companies will help AliExpress close gaps in product range, Zavadsky said. Tehnosila, for example, will offer heavy home appliances that are difficult to deliver from China. The Chinese platform, which has developed its logistics to serve clients across Russia, may help Russian online retailers reach new customers categories in certain areas of the country.
Since its launch in 2010, with a Russian-language version available as early as 2012, AliExpress has gained popularity among Russian consumers. In the period of August 2013 to August 2014, the Chinese platform overran eBay to reach an online audience double that of the US company. That year it became Russia’s most visited ecommerce website and one of the country’s top 10 most visited websites.
The Russian traffic of AliExpress further increased by 348% (in number of visits) from July 2014 to July 2015, according to Similar Web. Recently, AliExpress has multiplied initiatives to strengthen its presence. The company reached agreements with the Russian Post and private shipping company SPSR Express to improve delivery conditions. It has teamed up with Russian online bank Tinkoff Bank and MasterCard to launch a co-branded loyalty program.
In a pioneering move, AliExpress has also made mobile payment methods available to its Russian consumers, while its mother company Alibaba Group opened a Russian subsidiary with an office in Moscow.
This article first appeared in East-West Digital News, our editorial partner in Russia.
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