Starting from October 1, 2026, digital platforms in Russia will enter into a new regulatory regime: the norms of the law on the platform economy will come into force. For marketplaces, aggregators, and delivery services, this means stricter requirements for the rules of working with partners, the content of offers, and the procedure for changing terms. The launch date has already been fixed in the legal reviews.: October 1, 2026, becomes the point after which the sites will have to prove that access to their services is provided according to clear and comparable rules.
The main practical effect for sellers and contractors is currently being discussed around "individual conditions" and special programs. The industry has formed the habit of negotiating a package of incentives: a discount on commission, a subsidy for logistics, storage conditions, additional services for DRR and marketing. With the entry into force of the law, such packages fall into the zone of increased attention, because any advantage will need to be formally explained and applied equally to those who meet the criteria.
The market is already reacting in advance. Consultants and representatives of major players discuss the risks of conditions discrimination with regulators in order to avoid claims. Against this background, models appear that look more "legally clean": instead of a direct discount on a separate service, financial schemes of the retro bonus level from the basic commission and standard tariffs for logistics and storage are being discussed. In public discussions, the figure of -7% is found as a guideline for a retro bonus, but so far it looks more like an outline of future commercial offers than a mandatory norm.
A separate topic is transition periods. The logic in the community is "those who have subscribed before October 1 will be able to renew according to the old rules." In reality, such constructions depend on how the contracts, offers and the date of their amendment after the entry into force of the law will be drawn up. It is important for sites that any extensions do not look like a way to indefinitely preserve individual privileges, otherwise the meaning of regulation is lost and the risk of claims increases.
For sellers and logistics partners, the conclusion is simple: 2026 is the time to rebuild the economics of trading on the platform. It is worth modeling the unit economy in advance without "free" storage and with the full cost of logistics, setting stricter limits on refunds and closing dates for mutual settlements, as well as keeping a reserve of liquidity for possible changes in the offer. At the same time, those who transfer conditions from manual mode to transparent parameters win: turnover, quality of service, compliance with SLA, stability of supplies and refunds. It is these criteria that are easier to protect in the logic of "equal access" and easier to scale without conflicts with regulatory requirements.
