AKIT believes that e-commerce in Russia has entered the stage of sustainable development. The main players in the industry have already managed to create a large-scale logistics infrastructure, expand the customer base and make significant investments in regional presence and technological solutions. These investments are starting to pay for themselves, which is reflected in increased profitability.
The key factors for improvement were the growth of online sales, the end of fierce price competition between marketplaces, and the withdrawal of companies from the market that negatively affect overall performance. In addition, dumping has significantly decreased and operational efficiency has increased.
However, experts emphasize that despite the overall positive dynamics, profitability is not guaranteed for every market participant. Online trading remains a capital-intensive industry that requires constant financing, from building warehouses to investing in IT and last—mile logistics, especially in small towns.
Ozon notes that a positive financial result was possible due to scaling and cost optimization. Since 2018, the company has been actively investing in infrastructure, which has allowed it to achieve operating profit by 2023. Representatives of the combined Wildberries&Russ company also confirm that their business model is initially profitable, and maintaining profitability is one of the main priorities.
Some analysts, however, treat Rosstat data with caution. According to Eldar Murtazin from Mobile Research Group, the overall profitability could be affected by the peculiarities of the statistical methodology. For example, the losses of some large companies could be transferred to sole proprietors who are not accounted for in official reports, distorting the picture.
Data Insight partner Fyodor Virin claims that in 2025, the requirements for online retail have changed. Now the key competence is not marketing, but clear financial management: from calculating the cost to estimating logistical costs. At the same time, according to him, many market participants still lack such skills.
Despite all the difficulties, the e-commerce market is showing signs of maturity. Companies are starting to compete not only for the customer, but also for the efficiency of processes, the sustainability of operational models and the optimization of logistics. All this allows us to talk about a new stage in the development of e—commerce in Russia - more structured, profitable and technological.
