E-commerce is gradually becoming a trend

In the past, consumers had the habit of going directly to the store to choose products, check the quality and discuss with the seller before deciding to buy. However, with the explosion of e-commerce , shopping habits have changed significantly. It is noted that more and more people prefer to order online instead of traditional shopping, especially in the context of digital technology development.

Nowadays, many people often shop on e-commerce platforms.

Ms. Dao Le An (Thuan Thanh commune, Can Giuoc district, Long An province) shared: “In the past, I often went to supermarkets or convenience stores to buy daily necessities, but since the development of e-commerce platforms, I switched to online shopping . However, in terms of quality, I do not rate it as highly as direct shopping because online shopping cannot check the quality of the product. Luckily, up to now, I have not encountered a case of buying a product that is too bad.” Not only young people but also middle-aged and elderly people are gradually getting used to online shopping. This convenience has helped e-commerce become the top choice in many families.

Mr. Le Anh Khoa (from Can Giuoc district, currently doing business in District 6, Ho Chi Minh City) chose to do "online grocery" business without retail premises since 2023 (when he was still a student). Sharing about this, he said that because at that time he did not have capital to rent premises, he chose to sell online, focusing on 2 main platforms: Shopee and Facebook. Gradually, with the flexibility in the business model, he has a stable number of customers without having to open a traditional store.

According to Mr. Khoa, the biggest benefit of doing business on e-commerce platforms is saving on rental costs and being able to reach customers. Instead of being limited to one area, he can sell to customers in many different provinces and cities, expanding the market without having to bear a large financial burden. “High competition, especially with large, branded stores, and increasing discount costs on e-commerce platforms also affect business to some extent. The customer protection policies of the platforms often tend to be disadvantageous to sellers, such as complicated return and exchange procedures or easy refunds to customers even when the product is not at fault on the seller's side,” Mr. Khoa shared.

With the characteristics of small and retail businesses and the main products being groceries, Mr. Khoa prioritizes selling via Facebook and delivering to customers himself to reduce intermediary costs. In addition, he also takes advantage of his network of friends to introduce products, creating a source of loyal customers instead of relying entirely on e-commerce platforms.

Although e-commerce brings many opportunities, small and individual businesses like Mr. Khoa still want support from management agencies. According to Mr. Khoa, there should be better control policies on discount rates of e-commerce platforms, ensuring fairness between large and small sellers. At the same time, there should also be stricter regulations to protect the interests of sellers, avoiding the situation where customers take advantage of the return policy to cause damage to businesses.

According to the assessment of the Vietnam E-commerce Association - VECOM, the E-commerce Index of Long An province in 2024 reached 22 points (ranked 23rd/56 provinces and cities); compared to the Mekong Delta, Long An ranked 2nd, after Can Tho City (28 points). In recent years, e-commerce has continuously recorded outstanding growth, reaching 18-25% per year and the e-commerce market size is forecast to exceed 25 billion USD in 2024, an increase of 20% compared to 2023, accounting for about 9% of the total retail sales of goods and consumer service revenue nationwide.

According to the Department of Industry and Trade, implementing the e-commerce development plan, in 2025, the Department will promote the provision of legal knowledge on e-commerce for businesses and cooperatives in various industries, focusing on businesses in the province's key agricultural products; at the same time, organize training conferences on e-commerce to raise awareness and skills in applying digital technology in business, support businesses in accessing online trading floors, optimize sales processes and expand markets. The Department will continue to coordinate with the E-commerce Association to support businesses in the province to participate in e-commerce floors such as Lazada, Sendo, Tiki, Shopee, etc.; at the same time, promote non-cash payment activities./.

Khanh Duy

Source: https://baolongan.vn/thuong-mai-dien-tu-dan-tro-thanh-xu-huong-a191762.html