The Arkhangelsk Region records 52.9% of online purchases among residents of the region — an absolute record in the country. Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug ranks second with 38.8%. Moscow and St. Petersburg together account for only 21% of the total volume of online commerce, according to AKIT.
Marketplaces remain the main channel for online access: the combined share of Wildberries and Ozon could reach 77% of the total industry turnover by the end of 2026, predicts the analytical company "Euler". More than 70% of purchases on these sites are made in the regions. The daily audience of marketplaces is 50% of the country's population.
However, the working conditions at the sites have deteriorated dramatically. In the second quarter of 2026, total fees and logistics costs almost doubled: for Ozon — from an average of 18.6% to 47.8%, for Wildberries — from 31.9% to 42.7%. The number of active sellers decreased by about 21%, according to Data Insight. The total number of sellers on digital platforms has exceeded 1.5 million people, 88% of them are representatives of small and medium—sized businesses.
UAV attacks on warehouses of large sites force sellers to switch to the FBS model: the goods are stored in their own warehouse and transferred to the marketplace only after the order is received.
At the same time, there is a growing interest in direct sales. 47% of consumers are ready to buy from brands directly, 58% of Russians agree to pay more for local clothes, 40% associate such a purchase with the opportunity to express personal style. In 2025, 9,755 new online store domains were registered, which is 12% more than a year earlier.
Its own website shifts the tasks that the site used to solve to the entrepreneur. You need to attract traffic yourself through contextual advertising, SEO, and mailing lists. For the first few months, the store has been operating at a disadvantage according to this article. Logistics from a remote region is more expensive and takes longer. 45% of buyers cite the lack of delivery to their city as a critical obstacle to placing an order.
To reduce the technical burden on the market, SaaS platforms are available: Sberbank Online Sales (formerly InSales), AdvantShop and Yandex KIT. They include a ready-made infrastructure: connection of delivery services with automatic cost calculation, integration with advertising cabinets and statistics counters. Initial rates start from 1,500 rubles per month, advanced rates reach several tens of thousands. Yandex KIT provides basic access for free, and advanced features are available as advertising costs increase.
The optimal model for local business today is the development of two channels simultaneously. The marketplace provides ready demand and rapid scaling of successful positions. Our own website gives us control over the assortment, service, and customer base, reducing dependence on the pricing policy of the sites. None of the ready-made solutions replaces the advertising budget and production facilities.
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