Flowwow: Niche Marketplaces vs. the Giants

Serenity's podcast series features people from some of the fastest-growing brands in the Russian market. In this episode of “Mousetrap,” we speak with Oleg Egorov, Flowwow's marketing director since 2018. He previously worked as an analyst at Yandex, a product manager at eLama and a marketing lead at fintech startup Mili.ru.

“Mousetrap” is a podcast about marketing—or how to sell cheese. It is hosted by Sergey Pruss, CEO of Serenity, and Ekaterina Rusakova, formerly in Product Performance. We talk with business leaders about how to do marketing well.

In the fifth episode, we discuss how to choose a promising niche for a new product, where to allocate marketing budgets at launch and over time, and—most importantly—how to measure the return on investment in brand building.

Listen to the full podcast here:
Apple Podcasts
Yandex Music
Mave

Read on to learn about Flowwow's marketing principles. The article cites annual turnover of more than RUB 3 billion at the time of publication.

Flowwow focuses on a niche market, offering a simple, convenient way to order gifts. Oleg believes niche marketplaces can maintain their competitive position until general marketplaces meet all of their customers' expectations.

Customers today want more than a product; they expect good service too. Flowwow aims to provide quality service even before an order arrives. For example, customers can see a photo before delivery and ask for changes if needed.

Flowwow builds its product around customers and encourages its partners to do the same. That means showing partners why improvements matter: if customers are unhappy with the product or service, both sides risk losing customers and revenue.

In the 21st century, fast delivery has become the norm. Flowwow customers in Moscow are used to receiving a bouquet within 30 minutes. But delivery must be punctual as well as fast. When ordering gifts for holidays or important events, customers may need them at a specific time.

Flowwow offers a broad selection in its niche—one that larger marketplaces cannot always match. Its network of partners gives customers access to products they may not find in a nearby store, such as sunflowers or irises in winter.

Oleg says the need to invest in branding depends on the niche, product and other factors. Still, he believes even conservative businesses, such as steelworks, should develop their brands—and benefit from it over time.

In practice, Oleg recommends starting with performance marketing. Where possible, choose traffic sources that can support both brand and performance goals. For Flowwow, influencer marketing became one such tool. The key is finding the right creator to sell the product to their audience.

Oleg also advises against relying on promotions that generate only short-lived reach. Use distinctive marketing that can create an emotional response. This can build recognition and keep people interested, especially when audiences face a high volume of advertising.

Brand management should also be based on measurable data. Use analytics to see how marketing affects key metrics such as sales, identify opportunities, develop hypotheses and evaluate different channels.

We also discussed:

— Flowwow's plans for the coming years;
— which tasks in-house specialists handle and what to outsource;
— how the company forecasts marketing investment and the results it needs to achieve.

One final thought for business owners: take an active role in your company's marketing. Flowwow CEO Vyacheslav Bogdan understands how to sell the product and what customers and partners need. A CEO should drive the brand—believe in its value and help it grow. Otherwise, it can be difficult to remain competitive over the long term.

You can listen to our conversation with Flowwow CMO Oleg Egorov on your preferred platform:

Apple Podcasts
Yandex Music
Mave