Technology - the 'key' to protecting consumers in e-commerce

Fighting counterfeit goods online cannot be done with bare hands

E-commerce in Vietnam has grown strongly after the Covid-19 pandemic, with B2C (business-to-consumer) revenue in 2023 reaching 20.5 billion USD and more than 2.2 billion product units successfully delivered on 5 e-commerce platforms. These figures put Vietnam in the group of 10 countries with the highest e-commerce growth rate in the world.

However, this rapid development also poses many challenges for consumer rights protection. In 2023, the National Competition Commission - the agency assigned by the Ministry of Industry and Trade to carry out State management of consumer rights protection - received 1,567 petitions and complaints from consumers, of which 5.5% were related to e-commerce.

Commonly reported issues include: poor quality and quantity of goods, unsatisfactory shipping services, no compensation or return of products, deceptive advertising and false information. The main affected groups are children, the elderly, and people living in rural, mountainous and remote areas.

To prevent violations in the online environment, appropriate methods are needed. Photo: Ngoc Mai

Mr. Tran Huu Linh - General Director of the General Department of Market Management - affirmed that, besides the opportunities, e-commerce has been posing many new challenges for functional forces in the fight against counterfeit goods and protecting consumers. To prevent violations in the online environment, the leader of the General Department of Market Management said that it is necessary to have human resources, especially appropriate tools and methods, and not "catch the thief with bare hands". "Fighting against commercial fraud and counterfeit goods on the internet requires specific technological solutions to identify and determine buyers, sellers, transporters, goods... thereby contributing to preventing risks" - Mr. Tran Huu Linh emphasized.

Building a digital ecosystem to protect consumers in e-commerce

Mr. Le Duc Anh - Director of the Center for Information Technology and Digital Technology, Department of E-commerce and Digital Economy (Ministry of Industry and Trade) said that it is necessary to apply advanced technology solutions in identifying sellers, buyers, and tracing the origin of goods in e-commerce to prevent counterfeit goods.

Over the years, functional units of the Ministry of Industry and Trade have been making efforts to improve the infrastructure, legal framework and policies for the development of e-commerce and the digital economy. Most recently, in 2023, the Department of E-commerce and Digital Economy has built a digital ecosystem to strengthen the protection of consumer rights. This includes a system for managing and resolving online feedback and disputes in e-commerce between people and businesses.

“The digital ecosystem will contribute to protecting brands in the online environment, ensuring transactions in e-commerce, resolving complaints and disputes, authenticating and identifying subjects in e-commerce...” - Mr. Le Duc Anh informed and expected that the digital ecosystem that enhances the protection of consumer rights will contribute to improving the effectiveness of the fight against counterfeit goods in the online environment.

According to experts, in the era of the 4.0 industrial revolution, if anti-counterfeiting technology is not modernized, it will be difficult to control and prevent the increasingly sophisticated tricks of counterfeit distribution channels. Therefore, finding anti-counterfeiting solutions will help unify national standards so that competent authorities can propose common technical standards for anti-counterfeiting stamps, serving production and business units to avoid wasting social resources in researching each unit's own anti-counterfeiting solutions.

Vietnam Consumer Protection Association and Metric.vn platform cooperate to protect consumers on e-commerce platforms. Photo: Provided by Association Office

Most recently, the Vietnam Consumer Protection Association and the Metric.vn platform have entered into a strategic partnership to create a new step forward in protecting consumers on e-commerce platforms.

Ms. Tran Thi Dung - Vice President of the Vietnam Consumer Protection Association - said that the Association always attaches importance to the role of protecting consumer rights in the digital age. E-commerce is booming, but it also comes with significant challenges regarding product quality, counterfeit goods, and transaction security issues. "The cooperation with Metric will help the Association continue to promote its strength, bringing consumers a reliable and safe e-commerce environment," Ms. Dung affirmed.

Mr. Ha Thanh Tung - Chairman of Metric, said: “We are proud to be a pioneer in providing technological solutions to protect consumers in the e-commerce environment. Through real-time data analysis, we can detect and prevent fraudulent behavior, thereby contributing to protecting the legitimate rights of consumers. The cooperation with the Vietnam Association for Consumer Protection will be an important step forward, not only helping to promote consumer protection but also promoting market transparency”.

Accordingly, one of the key contents of the cooperation is the provision of market data between the Association and the Metric.vn platform. Metric, with its strengths in real-time data processing and Big Data technology, will provide detailed and in-depth market data, helping manufacturing enterprises better understand consumer needs and trends. Through this, enterprises can improve their products and services, bringing better experiences to customers. In particular, this data not only helps enterprises increase production efficiency but also makes an important contribution to protecting consumers.

“Metric will build tools to support the detection of counterfeit goods on e-commerce platforms, helping consumers avoid buying poor quality products, thereby increasing trust in the online shopping environment. This not only helps consumers feel more secure when shopping but also promotes the sustainable development of e-commerce platforms in Vietnam,” Mr. Ha Thanh Tung informed.

It is known that in addition to providing market data, the Vietnam Consumer Protection Association and Metric will coordinate to promote campaigns to raise consumer awareness of their rights, as well as introduce advanced technology services provided by Metric. These campaigns not only help consumers better understand their rights and obligations when participating in online shopping, but also create conditions for manufacturing enterprises to improve product quality, optimally meeting market demand.

“This cooperation not only brings value to businesses and consumers but also demonstrates the strong development of technology in protecting consumer rights,” Ms. Tran Thi Dung affirmed.

Source: https://congthuong.vn/cong-nghe-chia-khoa-bao-ve-nguoi-tieu-dung-trong-thuong-mai-dien-tu-351799.html