Yandex Prefers Regional Online Shops

Internet, September 11, 2006. Yandex announces a new program to support regional Internet shops. Now, users in the cities of Russia will first see Yandex.Market offers of online stores operating exactly where these users live, and then the offers of other shops that deliver goods to their region.

To participate in Yandex.Market regional program, an online store or chain must meet two criteria: have a regional warehouse and provide delivery of goods in the specified city (or region). The program covers all cities except Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Applications from Internet shops are welcome at region@market.yandex.ru.

"When we launched Yandex.Market service six years ago (Yandex.Tovary at that time), Internet trading was still new in the country. Online shops could be counted on fingers, they were located predominantly in Moscow and Saint Petersburg and only delivered goods within central regions of Russia. Today, 'federal' stores operate across the whole country, with considerable competition on the part of regional shops," tells Ilya Polozhintsev, head of Yandex e-Commerce. "And it is certainly more convenient for the users to buy in their own regions, with faster delivery and availability of local aftersales services. For these reasons, we decided to give preference to regional stores."

Yandex.Market is an all-purpose service for those who want to buy goods and services without wasting time and money. The Market helps to find and choose products and compare prices. The artificial intelligence technology Yandex.Guru makes it possible to select complex products without delving into technicalities. Every month, more than two million people choose goods at the Market from 1.8 million offers in over a thousand online stores.

Contact:
Media Relations
Vladimir Isaev, Ochir Mandzhikov
Phone: +7 495 739-7000
E-mail: pr@yandex-team.com