Businesses will have the option to claim a VAT deduction when purchasing Ozon's own goods as well as goods from marketplace sellers who operate on Russia’s general taxation system (OSNO). These items will be specially marked in the catalog for businesses, as well as their cost with and without VAT. After the purchase, businesses will receive an invoice on behalf of the seller, which can be used for tax accounting.
More than 11,000 Ozon sellers currently use the OSNO and account for about 70% of turnover among individual buyers. As sellers become connected to the exchange of invoices with legal entities, business clients will be able to take into account VAT when purchasing approximately 6 million SKUs across more than 20 product categories.
B2B customers will have access to marketplace opportunities that have already been successful among individual customers. This includes the absence of a minimum threshold for the cost of an order, as well as contactless payment and various timely delivery options to any location in Russia. In addition, a separate personal account with electronic document flow has been created for businesses, which a number of B2B retailers still do not have. Finally, business customers can pay for purchases using points from Ozon’s loyalty programmes.
Ozon revamped its B2B sales offering in October 2020 by introducing the option for businesses to buy goods from marketplace sellers. Since connecting the sellers’ assortment to B2B sales, the number of Ozon’s business clients has grown by 50% every month, and the number of orders from them has increased five-fold.
Tatiana Abramova, Director of B2B Sales at Ozon, commented:
“The development of the B2B channel is one of Ozon’s strategic priorities in 2021. In our experience, business clients most often buy electronics and office equipment online, but the marketplace can satisfy much more of their needs - from consumables for beauty salons to auto repair parts. To do this, we want to change the shopping experience for businesses and make it as convenient, simple and attractive as it is for ordinary Ozon users, including through such incentives as VAT refunds.”
OZON is a leading e-commerce platform in Russia, featuring 9 million SKUs in over 20 product categories, ranging from books and clothing to food and health products. It is quickly developing as a digital platform with its online marketplace already accounting for over 90% of total assortment. More than 18,000 companies and individuals are active sellers on Ozon.