The article investigates two fundamentally different digital transformation trajectories that have emerged in the Russian retail market during 2019–2025: “Trajectory A” - omnichannel digitalization of traditional offline retailers (X5 Group, Magnit, Lenta) and “Trajectory B” - platform ecosystem expansion into physical space (Wildberries, Ozon). Based on comparative strategic analysis of corporate financial reports and data from Data Insight analytics agency (including preliminary 2025 estimates), the study identifies key differences in value creation logic, data management, logistics models, and digital asset monetisation. The author’s contribution consists in the development of a comparative analysis matrix for the two trajectories across eight key dimensions, and in substantiating the thesis of convergence of both models towards a unified Phygital ecosystem. It is established that despite marketplace dominance (80% of market orders by end-2025), the food segment remains a zone of sustained competitive advantage for offline retailers: in Q4 2025 eGrocery was the sole driver of online channel growth. Practical recommendations are provided for retail company management regarding digital transformation trajectory selection.
Maksim Samohin (Thu,) studied this question.