How to improve the customer journey
The Wildberries marketplace introduced nearly twenty changes to its rules governing interactions between sellers and buyers. These updates followed an audit conducted by the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office and were summarized by the ministry’s press service. The aim is to clarify responsibilities and streamline operations for everyone involved.
According to official reports, the investigation was organized on behalf of the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation, Igor Krasnov. The changes reflect a shift toward greater consumer autonomy and clearer platform governance, ensuring buyers can act proactively when needed.
Under the new rules, buyers no longer must verify product quality at the Wildberries pickup point. Instead, they may inspect items in a dressing room or at home. Returns are now determined by the moment of rejection, and buyers retain the right to refuse a product, even if it is a technically complex device. Sellers can adjust delivery times for goods only after obtaining buyer agreement via their personal account. Additionally, Wildberries has shortened processing times for product replacement requests and began testing online order cancellation capabilities. (RBC)
During discussions with the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, it was noted that returning goods with a fee aligns with Article 4 of Article 26.1 of the Law on Consumer Rights Protection. The buyer will not bear return costs for goods of satisfactory quality in most cases, with three exceptions: a low purchase rate by the buyer, significant transport distances, or the presence of special characteristics of the goods (large or fragile items, etc.). Information about compensation for potential returns will appear on the site at the time of purchase. (RBC)
Wildberries also told a Telegram channel that the changes will not affect future operations but will improve the customer journey and make platform rules clearer for consumers. (Telegram channel)
Commission 3%
Starting October 9, 2023, Wildberries introduced a 3% payment commission on purchases made with Visa and Mastercard, noting that direct settlement with these cards was not available. The company’s director responsible for financial and payment services explained the limitation. (RBC)
On October 12, the Prosecutor General ordered a check on the legality of the commission. Rospotrebnadzor and the Bank of Russia participated in the audit. The next day, a meeting at the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office led to the cancellation of the additional commission. (RBC)
Historically, a 2% commission was introduced in summer 2021 for Maestro and Mir cards via Apple Pay, with subsequent reviews by regulators who initially found no consumer rights violations, though the commission was eventually paused. (RBC)
Penalties for returning goods
Operatives at pickup points challenged a fines system tied to returns and there were protests across several regions. Dozens of private Wildberries distribution points paused operations in cities across Moscow, the Trans-Baikal Territory, the Urals, Irkutsk, Bratsk, Angarsk, Chita, Buryatia, Vladivostok, and Blagoveshchensk. The demonstrations were organized by Wildberries partners in the MEGA riot chat group. (RBC)
The protests argued that the new rules could impose the full cost of returned goods on delivery-point staff when defects were found or wrong items were sent. The marketplace cited a specific algorithm to determine responsibility, with about 98% of such cases attributed to the pickup staff. Authorities intervened, leading to the cancellation of thousands of fines and subsequent adjustments to the rules. (RBC)
As of mid-2023, the Wildberries network boasted over 33 thousand pickup points, with more than a third being affiliates. The first half of 2023 saw orders exceeding 1.3 billion rubles, up 119% year over year. Turnover rose by 94% to 1.221 trillion rubles. (RBC)