Detsky Mir announces full-scale launch of its own marketplace
MOSCOW. Oct 19 (Interfax) - Detsky Mir Group, the largest children's goods retailer in Russia and Kazakhstan, has announced the full-scale launch of its own marketplace.
"The Company has rolled out a marketplace covering all categories, including apparel and footwear, toys and games, products for newborns, and pet supplies. In the medium term, the assortment is expected to grow to 2.4 million SKUs," the company said in a press release.
In November 2019, Detsky Mir launched a pilot version for apparel and footwear. During the trial period, the marketplace's product range topped 50,000 stock-keeping units, taking into account the size range. The company began long-term cooperation with local and foreign brands, including Acoola, Gulliver, Kapika, Kerry, and Kotofey.
The press release said that "Detsky Mir offers attractive terms to potential merchant partners who are looking for third-party logistics (3PL) services, including access to the Company's existing logistics infrastructure for a competitive, fixed commission. A personal account functionality has been added to the online platform, offering all necessary features - assortment creation and management, analytical reporting, price management, etc. The Company plans to further expand the marketplace functionality by adding a promotion management system, financial reporting and operational analytics."
Customers will be able to receive orders at their convenience, via in-store pick up or courier delivery. The Detsky Mir loyalty program is fully integrated into the marketplace service, allowing customers to make use of all its benefits.
"The width of choice is an important competitive advantage for any online store, so the full-scale launch of our marketplace is a key area of our strategy. We see leveraging our existing logistics and retail infrastructure as well as our low marketing and operating costs as an opportunity to deliver a more attractive marketplace than those of our competitors. At this initial stage, we will focus on all children's goods categories and pet supplies. Going forward, we plan to trial out related categories beyond the children's assortment, but are remaining anchored to the brand's overall focus," Detsky Mir CEO Maria Davydova was quoted as saying in the statement.
As of the end of September, the group had a total of 810 stores, including 792 Detsky Mir stores, 13 Zoozavr stores, and five compact Detmir Pickup stores.