Vietnam customers still hesitant to shop online

These experts remarked that customers’ confidence in online sellers remains low, so non-cash payments are below 5% of total payments.

Many shoppers have hesitated to buy items online, while others purchase products from ecommerce platforms using the cash on delivery (COD) format, hindering the development of the local ecommerce market, some ecommerce firms told the forum, held by the Vietnam Ecommerce Association.

A representative of market research firm Nielsen Vietnam stated that even though the number of Vietnamese people using the Internet and smartphones is high, the local market has seen a modest number of online buyers.

The representative attributed the limited number of online customers to uncertainty over the quality of products, poor access to information on online selling websites and a lack of confidence.

Nguyen Huu Tuan, a representative of the trade ministry’s Vietnam Ecommerce and Digital Economy Agency, noted that some online sellers tend to describe their products without listing their origins, discouraging customers who might want to switch to online shopping.

The agency is collaborating with State agencies and ecommerce firms to fight fake products and intellectual property violations.

Meanwhile, a representative of ecommerce platform Shopee remarked that COD payments account for the lion’s share of orders on the platform. As such, the firm is working with financial partners to deploy promotional programs to attract customers to non-cash payments with credit cards, ATM cards and the Shopee wallet.

The Vietnam E-commerce Association (VECOM), in collaboration with Ben Tre Province and Lazada Vietnam, launched a program called “Date of Ben Tre Coconut Village” on the sidelines of the workshop. The project is the first phase of VECOM and Lazada’s plan to develop the ecommerce sector sustainably to support micro, small and medium enterprises and business households that produce coconut-based products in Ben Tre Province. Further, the project is expected to help them expand their reach in the online business environment.