Apart from reading and sharing news, 30% of Internet users are involved in online transactions. Therefore, it is easy to understand the fast development of e-commerce nowadays. With nearly half of the population using the Internet, e-commerce is a potential playground for Vietnamese businesses.
There is a small shop called Gat Tan shop which belongs to a group of youngsters from Hanoi. Items here used to be sold offline only, until two years ago, when the shop decided to adopt a new operation model: a combination of online and offline sales. Since then, monthly revenue has increased tenfold, from US$500 to US$5000, along with an expanded customer base.
"Previously, most of our customers were just around this neighbourhood and maybe elsewhere in Hanoi. But now, we have customers from other countries like Japan taking an interest in our handmade products", Nguyen Trong Duc, Gat Tan Shop said.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, online sales transactions in Vietnam have reached more than US$4 billion. E-commerce helps customers find cheaper products in a faster and more convenient manner.
Currently, there are about 45 million Internet users in Vietnam. However, among the enterprises, only 20% of them are involved in online trading activities. As e-commerce provides many opportunities to increase sales revenue, it would be a waste if Vietnamese enterprises did not take full advantage of this platform.
