The model of communication between marketplaces and sellers using seller centrals: Russian and international experience

Today, marketplaces are a platform for communication between sellers and buyers around the world. And while customer interaction with digital platforms is usually limited to ordering goods from the search feed and receiving them at the delivery point, communication between marketplaces and their sellers is much more complex. The latter determines which goods will be available to buyers and which will not. In this context, the way in which interaction between the marketplace and the seller is structured on the online platform takes on particular importance. The subject of the study is the models of communication between marketplaces and sellers implemented through the personal accounts of digital platforms. The analysis focuses on how marketplaces form, encode and transmit messages that influence seller behaviour in conditions of economic instability and crisis. The object of the study is the personal accounts of sellers on the three largest platforms: Russia — Ozon, USA — Walmart Marketplace, Singapore — Shein, which allows for a comparison of domestic and foreign communication practices. The work uses a systematic approach to studying the communications of marketplaces and sellers, which made it possible to identify their features and structure. The method of modelling complex systems was used to clearly present the communication process of the subjects described, describe and characterise communication channels. As part of the semiotic approach, the content of messages for sellers embedded in the design of personal account interfaces was analysed. This made it possible to identify the types of communication between marketplaces and sellers through personal accounts. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that communication between marketplaces and sellers is described as an independent media system. It has been established that, regardless of the geographical region, the dominant type of communication is informational, based on numerical indicators, ratings, statuses, and dashboards. Empirical data on three platforms show that the share of text posted in personal accounts ranges from 16% to 30% of the screen space, with visual and numerical elements occupying more space than expanded text formulations. Differences in the emotional tone of marketplace texts have been identified. It has been concluded that in times of crisis, personal accounts become a key channel for communication management: through them, the platform establishes rules of conduct for sellers and resolves conflicts.