Read a summary of the discussion below.
To educate Russian consumers in online shopping, I needed to focus on their offline experience. Today 30% of our first-time buyers and 10% of loyal customers make purchases through our call center. They have a computer and they look at the website, but they still want to have a human being on the phone. We spend a lot of time, energy, and money advertising on TV, billboards, radio, and in newspapers. For the Russian consumer, that makes us a company they can trust because they see us offline rather than just online. It means that we have a thousand pick-up points where customers can come and collect their orders. It means that we have to offer cash on delivery, because even our loyal customers who are used to buying online still want to be able to pay cash after they have touched the goods. OZON sales are 80% cash on delivery. Since I became CEO of the biggest online retailer in Russia, I actually have never spent so much time thinking about offline and how to make it better.
