Wildberries: How to Build a Profitable Business with a Marketplace

Contents:

• What's good about Wildberries
• How to start selling on Wildberries from Belarus
• How to organize logistics and manage orders
• What to look for
• Frequently asked questions
• Useful resources from the editors of Skillbox.by

What's good about Wildberries

In recent years, the online trading segment has been developing particularly actively, and you can find thousands of stories online about how an entrepreneur managed to build a multi-million dollar business from scratch. But success directly depends on the depth of the market. In China or the USA, almost any project unknown outside of a particular city or region can generate a solid profit. However, in countries with a population of 5-10 million, even national projects may be less successful.

It is not easy for small entrepreneurs to develop in such a market. You need to compete for every client, and you can't do without large investments in promotion to reach audiences from different regions. In such a situation, working through marketplaces with established logistics and a large audience looks attractive.

Wildberries, according to Data Insight, ranks first among the most popular online stores in Russia and the CIS. With a turnover of 1.6 trillion rubles, it is ahead of Ozon, which is in second place. Wildberries' sales volume is twice that of Ozon, and the number of orders is 3.3 times higher.

For entrepreneurs from Belarus, the VB is valuable because it allows them to trade not only in the domestic market, but also opens access to an almost 230 million audience in the CIS, including Russia, which accounts for about 90% of sales.

VB is a universal marketplace. Almost any category is available for trading, except explosives, antiques, alcohol, tobacco, and goods prohibited by law. You can resell or sell your own products - toys, souvenirs, jewelry, or clothing.

The company regularly runs promotions and marketing campaigns to stimulate interest in niches that are still underdeveloped on the marketplace. As a result, WB is visited by 340 million people monthly and ranks ninth in the global marketplace ranking.

Wildberries' advantage is its developed network of logistics centers, pick-up points, and its own courier service. It includes more than 10 large warehouses and about 37,000 pick-up points. The company offers several models of cooperation, including fulfillment services (FBS). You can send purchased goods to the buyer yourself or ship the batch directly to one of the WB warehouses, working under the same conditions as sellers from the Russian Federation.

How to start selling on Wildberries from Belarus

First, make sure that you meet the platform requirements:

• Only sellers with official status can register: individual entrepreneurs or legal entities (for example, LLC);
• you have opened a current account for business;
• The platform charges a "security deposit" of 10,000 Russian rubles. This money is credited to the seller's advertising account and can be used to pay for advertising;
• Documents for the goods are available: customs declarations, certificates, invoices, or a letter of refusal confirming that certification for the goods is not required.

If you plan to resell goods from China, you must first clear them through customs, pay taxes, and obtain certification. It is permissible to cooperate with other sellers selling the same item and obtain one certificate for everyone. If you make purchases from a wholesale supplier, ask them for electronic copies of documents.

Be sure to study the rules of the platform. Violations of requirements, for example, failure to deliver goods on time or an incorrect description, carry significant fines.

How to register a seller account

The registration procedure on WB is similar to other marketplaces. You can create an account and submit documents remotely, and submitting an application takes 5-10 minutes. However, its consideration may take up to one week.

The seller's account is activated after the security deposit is credited to the Wildberries account. This usually takes one to five business days.

After this, you need to log in to your account and fill out the store form. You must specify the tax system, legal address, OGRN, and bank account details for crediting revenue. You will need to attach copies to the form:

• For individual entrepreneurs: passports, OGRNIP, registration certificate;
• For legal entities: TIN, OGRN, charter.

After this, you need to confirm the changes, but be sure to carefully study the offer. There is a lot of useful information, including on product packaging. This will make your work easier, reduce the percentage of returns and avoid fines from the trading platform.

Preparing for Sales

After registration, study the commissions in the "Analytics" - "Commissions and Tariffs" tab. They vary depending on the category and cooperation schemes.

If you are planning to delegate logistics to WB, you need to familiarize yourself with the terms of acceptance, storage, and delivery of goods from different warehouses. Calculate how profitable the business will be, and whether it is more profitable to store the remaining goods yourself and send parcels to customers.

Get an API key immediately - in your personal profile in the "API Access" tab. After generating the key, the system will begin generating reports with advanced statistics on sales, impressions, visits, and regions. You can view these reports later by connecting a third-party analytics service. For example, SemRush.

How to create a product card

Wildberries does not provide direct communication with customers, the product card is the main sales tool. Therefore, first you need to prepare:

• Study your competitors' descriptions. Perhaps other sellers forgot to say something important - this will help you stand out from them and attract customers.
• Collect a semantic core for searching within the marketplace. This can be done through the Popular Searches tool in the Analytics section and will improve the visibility of your cards. You can also use third-party services: sellego, moneyplace.io, Parsers.
• Prepare photos and videos following Wildberries' recommendations.If you are reselling a product, get samples from the supplier, making slight modifications to them. For products of your own production, you can hire a photographer or take the photos yourself.
• Prepare a description.If it is a TV or a smartphone, it is worth describing in more detail their functions, capabilities, and the technologies used. For simple products like toys or clothing, it is better to keep the description short. Write useful information: composition, how it behaves when washed, from what collection, for what body type, etc.

To design a product showcase (card), go to the "Products" - "Product Cards" menu. You can enter data manually for one item or immediately upload all products to an Excel spreadsheet.

The second method is more convenient and faster, but is for experienced sellers. You can download the template to fill out in your personal account in the "Product Cards" section - you just need to click the "Download from Excel" button.

If you are a beginner, it is better to go through all the steps manually several times to understand the features of the service, namely:

• In the "Product Cards" section, click the "Add" button.
• In the category selection field, start typing the product type, select a name from the list.
• Remember that any information entered on the card cannot be changed later - you can only delete the incorrect card and start over. You must be especially careful when choosing a category: an incorrectly specified category can result in a fine of up to 25,000 Russian rubles.
• Fill out the form with product information - it is separate for each category.
• In the form, specify the name of the product, brand, country of manufacture and other parameters.
• TN VED is required only for certain categories of goods.
• Supplier article number — this field is optional, it is needed for the convenience of the seller to navigate the goods. Enter the article number assigned by the manufacturer (supplier), and for your own production, you can assign the article number yourself.
• You can add up to 50 colors or up to 10 configurations. To do this, click the "+" button and fill in the additional fields.
• When adding a color, the "Seller SKU" field appears. Don't confuse it with the "Supplier SKU." It contains the main SKU and a color indication. For example, if we add color to the T-shirt SKU "00010," we get "00010-RED."
• Generate barcodes. If there are several clothing sizes, a separate code is generated for each.
• Immediately copy the barcodes or save them in a spreadsheet - they are needed to generate barcodes used during delivery.
• Add photos and videos. You can attach up to 30 photos (edit: resolution 450x450 pixels), up to 12 3D images (edit: 450x600 pixels). The maximum video size is 50 MB in MP4 and MOV formats.
• You can add infographics along with photos, but without the seller's contact information. Photo requirements are described in the offer.
• If you have several colors or product configurations, attach a photo and video for each separately.
• Specify the price. Set it with a reserve, taking into account possible discounts and the WB commission.
• Product description is an optional field. But you shouldn't ignore it. Products with high-quality descriptions sell better.
• Add keywords. These are the queries users use to search for a product within the marketplace.
• Save changes. If you've done everything correctly, the card will appear in the table.

How to organize logistics and manage orders

Wildberries offers three work models for companies:

• Fulfillment by Wildberries (FBW).Fulfillment is when orders are processed by the marketplace. You ship the goods to the warehouse, and the company does the rest – packs and delivers them to the pick-up point.
• Fulfillment by Seller (FBS).You store the goods in your own warehouse and, when placing an order, pack the parcel and bring it to the Wildberries pick-up point.
• Delivery by Seller (DBS).You use Wildberries only to find clients and deliver the goods to the buyer yourself or send them by courier service.

The choice of cooperation model depends on the size of the business, niche and capabilities. If the turnover is small and the warehouse stock is small, then you can store the goods at home or in the garage, and bring the parcel after placing the order (FBW) to the pick-up point. FBW will be relevant when you can no longer cope on your own, but renting a warehouse and paying salaries to employees is unprofitable.

Also keep in mind that delivery rates from Belarus to Russian cities are higher than within the Russian Federation, so for certain product categories, Wildberries fulfillment is more cost-effective. This model is also preferable when the savings from in-house order processing are modest. In this case, you will free up time that you can spend on marketing and business development, or leisure.

You can combine several models at once. Working with the FBW system is beneficial because it significantly speeds up the delivery of goods to the buyer. This means that the product card increases in search results, makes it more visible and increases the chances that they will buy from you.

Logistics centers and coverage

When delivering through Wildberries, please keep in mind that the coverage area and rates for storage and processing vary between logistics centers. Warehouses in the Moscow region (Domodedovo, Elektrostal, Podolsk, Koledino) send parcels throughout Russia. But they are the most expensive.

The logistics center in Kazan has unlimited coverage. It has lower occupancy rates and prices. But parcels to Moscow and St. Petersburg take longer to arrive. There are also warehouses in:

• Krasnodar.Products will only be visible to customers in the Northwestern, Central, Volga, Ural, Southern, and North Caucasian Federal Districts.
• Ekaterinburg. Delivered to the Volga region, southern and Far Eastern regions (except Kamchatka, Magadan).
• Novosibirsk and Khabarovsk.Delivery is carried out to the Siberian Federal District, the Far East, including Kamchatka and Magadan.

How to send goods to the Wildberries warehouse

To ship goods to the logistics center, you must first create a request in the "Deliveries" menu → "Deliveries" item, namely:

• mark the goods, indicate the quantity of units;
• Select a warehouse - if it is located far from you, you can ship the goods through an intermediate point - it will accept the cargo and forward it to its destination;
• Specify the delivery method - box, pallet or safe; you can choose several options;
• Book the date.

Before shipping, properly pack (edit:as specified in the offer) and mark the goods to receive a pass. You must have separate stickers with a barcode according to WB rules:

• for each unit of goods;
• for the box where the goods are placed;
• Separate delivery code.

The barcode for the product is generated based on the barcode generated when filling out the product card. You can use any service. For example, this.

The barcode for the box and the delivery code are generated on the "new delivery" page. You can also issue a pass here.

What you should pay attention to

Wildberries is not a perfect platform. It has its own characteristics, strengths and weaknesses. Here are some points to consider before starting a business.

Prices and promotions

Wildberries regularly runs promotions, and participation in some of them is highly desirable for sellers. Discounts at the expense of the seller's profit can reach up to 50%. If you ignore the promotions, it will be more difficult to advance on the platform. Products will become unavailable to some buyers and will move down in search results.

You need to initially set an inflated price while remaining competitive with other sellers. For example, if you plan to sell T-shirts with a 100% margin for 2,000 Russian rubles with a cost price of 1,000 Russian rubles, set the price at 3,000-4,000 rubles and periodically offer discounts of 10-50%. You should not set prices too high, otherwise you can alienate buyers and run into sanctions from the platform.

Online calculators, such as WB CON, can help calculate the price. It takes into account all possible expenses, including marketplace fees.

Marketing and Product Promotion

On Wildberries, you compete with thousands of other entrepreneurs, so to increase sales, you need to promote your products. To do this, you need:

• Package products well and ship them quickly (FBO, FBS formats), and adhere to the service rules - this will ensure a high rating, and your products will appear higher in search results;
• Write a thoughtful and accurate description, take good, informative photos - this will increase the conversion rate of product cards and the redemption rate, which will also raise your search results;
• Experiment with keywords - if some phrases don't produce results, try changing them, and you can evaluate the effectiveness using the built-in tools in the "Analytics" tab;
• Use paid advertising within the service, combining it with promotions and discounts - do this at least sometimes to improve sales statistics;
• promote through third-party platforms - for example, you can write reviews on Yandex.Zen or run a group on social networks, leaving links to product cards.

Working with returns

Customers can return the goods within two weeks. Convenience for customers creates problems for the seller:

• After frequent fittings, clothes lose their marketable appearance, and you also have to pay extra for the disposal of damaged items;
• Fraud - the buyer can use the product for a while and then return it, which is difficult to verify;
• The seller pays for each shipment of the product, even if there was a return.

Therefore, when working with VB, we recommend factoring such losses into the cost in advance. Start with simple products, where the return percentage is lower.

Reviews and ratings

Reviews and ratings affect your rankings and sales, so we recommend:

• Monitor your review history and ratings. Buyers often choose an item based on the ratings they leave, and the card's position in the search results depends on them.
• Respond to negative reviews immediately. If the review is objective, you need to correct the deficiencies and work on the quality of the product or packaging.
• Monitor the quality of the product and its packaging.
• Don't try to cheat—for example, by promising the client a reward for a good rating. This can result in a hefty fine. But you can include a thank-you letter in the package and ask the customer to leave a review if they were satisfied with the purchase.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which product should I choose for trading?

Look for a product in demand with moderate competition. Popular niches include clothing, cosmetics, home and garden, and tourism. You can focus on bestsellers on AliExpress, Amazon, and use analytics services. Pay attention to the first pages of search results for different categories. If top sellers have between 50 and 100 reviews, it means the product is gaining popularity, but the niche isn't overheated yet.

Another important criterion when choosing a product is your budget. Avoid entering highly competitive niches like clothing, children's toys, or auto parts with a small budget. You'll have a hard time competing on price with sellers who buy in large quantities and are willing to pay high advertising rates to promote their products.

What to choose: a legal entity or an individual entrepreneur?

An individual entrepreneur is suitable for reselling goods from other manufacturers, a legal entity is for those who have a large-scale business.

Can sellers from Belarus work with buyers from Russia?

Yes, but you just need to ensure compliance with Belarusian and Russian laws.

Is it necessary to constantly monitor sales?

Wildberries can trade automatically using the FBW model. If you have a popular product, you can generate income without delving into marketing and advertising. You just need to monitor your inventory and check prices.

Where can I get a current account?

If you are an individual entrepreneur, you can open one in five minutes at any bank.

Useful resources from the editors of Skillbox.by

Working through Wildberries, you can build a successful business. But only if you responsibly study the rules, carefully calculate and plan everything. To help you get to know this area better, the editors of Skillbox.by have collected useful online resources:

• Wildberries— the marketplace's official Telegram channel for partners with news and advice;
• stat4market.com/blog/ — a blog about marketplaces and promotion on WB and Ozon;
• Influencer Marketing — an English-language blog where you can find many useful articles on e-commerce and working with marketplaces;
• blog.lengow.com — An English-language blog dedicated to marketplaces and marketing.