Wildberries is preparing a pilot in Ethiopia and is eyeing India: why does the marketplace need a "far abroad"
Wildberries & Russ is considering moving beyond the usual geography of its presence and is preparing a pilot launch in Ethiopia, while simultaneously assessing the potential of India and certain Southeast Asian countries, in particular Sri Lanka and Thailand.
The key point is that we are not talking about a "loud announcement to a dozen countries at once," but about a phased model — testing in one jurisdiction followed by a scaling decision. This approach is logical for the marketplace: in new countries, not only marketing and assortment are critical, but also mundane things — payments, logistics, refunds, local data requirements and consumer rights.
The pilot format has been confirmed on behalf of the company.:
"The team is preparing for a pilot launch in Ethiopia, which will result in a decision on further development."
The cautious wording on the Asian direction was emphasized separately.:
"At the same time, the company does not exclude the possibility of developing mutual trade with Asian countries, in particular with India."
Why the choice fell on Africa and Asia
The reason lies in a combination of three factors:
- Growth and “under saturation” of individual markets. Where online commerce has not yet closed the basic demand, it is easier for the marketplace to take the role of a technological platform — especially if it brings a ready-made bundle of "showcase + logistics + advertising tools".
- A friendly foreign trade environment. Predictability of calculations, compliance risks and the ability to build supply chains without toxic restrictions are important for Russian businesses. In this sense, the markets of the Global South look more practical than the "closed" destinations.
- The bid for export via the marketplace. The international development of the platform potentially opens up a new sales channel for Russian manufacturers: not through individual distributors, but through a digital showcase with managed logistics and customer service.
What does this mean for foreign economic activity and logistics
For foreign trade, such expansion is not only about "where the parcels will go." This is a restructuring of the entire supply chain architecture:
- There will be a demand for warehouse units and consolidation for new directions.;
- the role of documentary compliance (labeling, declarations, confirmation of characteristics) will increase;
- The key constraint may be payments and local data rules, rather than physical delivery.
If the pilot in Ethiopia proves successful, the market may receive a signal that Russian e-commerce players are beginning to collect the "southern" geography of sales systematically, and this will affect logistics corridors, demand for fulfillment, and sellers' export strategies.
