5 popular misconceptions that prevent you from making profitable purchases at sales
Miscellaneous / / November 13, 2023
1. There are no big sales in online stores
Marketplaces offer discounted products all year round. Therefore, it seems incredible that sites are organizing additional promotions. But this is true. For example, at the end of the year, many online stores have big sales - 11.11 and Black Friday.
Moreover, the timing of promotions is increasing. So, last year, Amazon launched Black Friday in Europe a week earlier than usual. Already on the first day of sale took off almost 3.5 times.
Russian marketplaces are adopting foreign experience. Ozon This year the 11.11 sale started on October 30th, and it lasted until November 13th. Immediately after it, a new sale starts - “Black Friday”. Its peak will be on November 24th.
Yulia Dolotina
Director of Operations and Trade Marketing at OZON.
Long sales are a global trend that directly responds to consumer requests. Of course, the most buyers and the most impressive discounts occur on the main day of the promotion. But many are ready to purchase goods for a slightly higher price, but in advance and without haste. Early sales are just for such buyers.
2. Honest discounts in stores are rare
Not at all, and large sites pay special attention to this. For example, to participate in promotions Ozon, the seller must make a discount of a certain size, which is set taking into account the median price over the last 30 days. If the price of an item added to the sale is not attractive, the marketplace may remove such an offer from the promotional selection.
Ozon forms recommendations for discounts taking into account data from site analysts who study the specifics of each category, the characteristics of demand and market trends. The choice is up to the sellers. But, as a rule, they themselves make an even greater discount.
3. Stale goods are sold at sales
In fact, it is beneficial for stores to offer discounts to increase brand awareness and attract new customers. There is no point in limiting ourselves only to existing stocks: on the contrary, during sales periods new items are brought into warehouses so that there is enough for everyone who wants them. Thanks to regular promotions that feature interesting products, casual customers can turn into regular ones. For the entire high season of last year, the site came 1.8 million new users. And shopping on Black Friday back every second customer who participated in the 11.11 sale.
On Ozon you can find discounts in all categories presented on the marketplace. For example, according to the site, this year 68.3 million product items were available to users in the 11.11 sale - this is 2.5 times more than in 2022. Ozon carefully checks the products that participate in promotions. They must meet three criteria: have less than 10% of user complaints, an average rating above 3 points, and less than 10% of returns and non-repurchases. To reduce the risk of returns, buyers can read in advance the ratings and reviews of other marketplace visitors who have already purchased this product.
Select products4. Promotional items cannot be returned
They are subject to the same rules as regular purchases. Once you pick up your item from the collection point, you have 14 days to return it. But it is important that you do not use it and keep all the labels, that is, give the goods exactly in the form in which they were. There are things that are not subject to returns with proper quality - for example, cosmetics and personal hygiene items. On Ozon, information about this is available in the product card.
You can apply for a refund in your personal account; this service is free for marketplace users. U Ozon There is also partial compensation. This is an option in case the product arrives with a defect that does not affect its user characteristics. For example, when a small scratch is found on the body of a hair dryer, the buyer can negotiate with the seller to return part of the cost of the device.
By the way, when ordering shoes, clothes and accessories on Ozon, postpayment is available. If you doubt whether the size of sneakers or jacket will suit you, you can order several options to choose from, try them on, and pay and pick up only the ones you like.
5. Marketplaces cannot cope with the load due to the abundance of orders
Parcels are lost, and a kilometer-long queue awaits at the point of delivery of orders - such fears are unlikely to have any basis in reality. Ozon prepares for sales in advance, and therefore plans the load. For example, the marketplace has increased the computing power of data centers. Now the site can accept up to 250 thousand requests and 8 thousand orders per second.
The company spent a year preparing the infrastructure so that purchases would arrive to customers on time, and people would not waste time waiting in lines. 10 new fulfillment centers have opened, and there are already 30 in total in Russia and the CIS. In such centers, goods are stored, orders are packaged and sent to customers.
Buyers pick up 8 out of 10 orders at pick-up points, so Ozon invests in their development not only in megacities, but also in small towns and villages. This year the network has increased to 40 thousand pickup points and parcel terminals. There is no need to go far to order: more than 70% of Russians have outlets within a 10-minute walk from home. It’s easy to figure out how clothes or shoes fit on the spot: more than 70% of points are equipped with at least two fitting rooms. The speed of issuing orders has decreased by 15% over the year and averages 36 seconds.
During periods of high load, Ozon strengthens all resources in the “last mile” - this is the name for the stage of delivering purchases to customers. This year, for the sales season, the number of couriers will increase by 70% - to 12,500, and our own fleet will consist of more than 9,000 vehicles. This way, users will be able to receive goods accurately and on time.
Have time to buy on Ozon