At the ZooIndustry exhibition, a seminar titled “Marketplace pitfalls in the pet business or how not to sell at a loss!” was held. The session was led by Anastasia Glebova, a senior marketplace manager specializing in the pet industry.
Today, selling pet products requires a systematic approach: competition and the number of SKUs are growing, margins are shrinking, and mistakes are costly. As competition becomes increasingly intense and grows faster than the market itself, choosing the right niche is becoming more challenging.
“We are also seeing a shift in price segments and average order value. For dogs, the average order value has increased from RUB 2,377 to RUB 3,005, while the share of premium and holistic pet food is growing. For cats, the average order value has fallen from RUB 1,771 to RUB 847, and we are seeing a shift toward smaller pack sizes,” the expert noted.
Participants were introduced to an algorithm for launching a product on the pet market—from analyzing unit economics, which calculates revenue and expenses per individual unit of product, service, or customer, to taking into account all costs, including product price, marketplace commission, logistics, storage, and advertising. The process also includes inventory allocation among warehouses and developing a platform-specific strategy.
It was noted that the Wildberries platform is characterized by an auction-based model, high sensitivity to bidding rates, and strong competition in search results. Ozon, meanwhile, offers more customer retention tools, works actively with its customer database, and provides personalized promotional mechanisms.
Anastasia Glebova emphasized that product pricing is not a strategy in itself—it is merely a tool that, without a systematic approach, can lead a seller to losses.
The meeting also addressed brand positioning, including competitor analysis, segment selection, creating a unique selling proposition, and differentiating from competitors. Other topics included optimizing product listings and using AI as a tool for testing hypotheses and analyzing advertising spending.
“The platform will remain profitable under any scenario, so sellers need a forecasting strategy and must think ahead,” the expert said.
The international exhibition ZooIndustry 2026 is taking place at the Expoforum Convention and Exhibition Centre from March 3 to 5.