Online business - new development trend

(Baonghean) - Online sales are currently one of the effective and growing sales trends due to the convenience supported by the internet and smartphones. From large enterprises to small retail store owners and even students with a passion for business can do business through social networks such as Facebook, Youtube, Fanpage, or online shops.

Southeast Asia, including Vietnam with a population of about 92.7 million, is currently a fertile land for online business. It is forecasted that by 2020, there will be more than 480 million people in this region accessing the internet. Currently, there are up to 3.8 million new users connecting to the internet every month.

E-commerce in Southeast Asia is forecast to reach $88 billion by 2025. According to the CEO of DHL Express, there are more than 150,000 packaged retail deliveries every day in Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam.

An e-shopping website - Photo: Vu Thuy

Online business is considered a "giant cake" for retailers with benefits such as cost savings (renting premises, staff, furniture, etc.), not requiring too much investment capital but still bringing high and long-term efficiency.

Customers from all over can participate in product shopping at any time, can visit the booth to learn about products and services faster instead of taking more time to come directly. This is also an opportunity for online sellers to improve customer service through feedback, increase professionalism, and the opportunity to manage the business from anywhere in the world.

However, customer demands are becoming more and more complex and sellers must constantly respond. As e-commerce becomes more popular, consumers' demands also increase, they will be less tolerant of delays in receiving goods and will be easily discouraged if the goods provided are not diverse or of poor quality.

Therefore, reliability, speed, and convenience are the top criteria that are extremely important for online sellers. Ensuring quality to build reputation and trust with consumers is an essential factor to attract more and more loyal customers, making it impossible for them to ignore your products when needed, instead of having to look for other suppliers.

To meet the requirements of quality and maximum customer satisfaction, some e-commerce websites such as Lazada, Zalora, Sendo… have supported customers to return or exchange goods if they are not satisfied after receiving. This is one of the advantages of businesses to strengthen the trust, satisfaction and loyalty of buyers.

Diversifying payment methods is also a matter of concern because each country, locality, or area will have different payment habits. In some developed countries like Singapore, customers often pay by credit card, however, in Indonesia, the Philippines, or Vietnam, most consumers prefer to pay by cash. Consider access to transportation services as part of the value chain. Diversifying payment methods and other services will create customer engagement and loyalty.

Busy lives mean customers have less free time, so deliveries need to be tailored to the buyer's time and location rather than the seller or delivery service provider.

One of the best ways for sellers to increase value for consumers is to diversify delivery options. In addition to traditional home and office delivery, sellers also need to apply the fastest and most convenient delivery methods such as: parcel lockers, express delivery points, and convenient delivery locations.

Delivery locations are often located in locations where customers frequently pass by, so they can proactively choose when to receive their goods. The more delivery options there are, the less hassle it will be for consumers.

In addition, after deciding to buy, consumers want to track the shipping process to see if the product they bought has been shipped. Therefore, sellers need to create comfort and trust for customers by sending emails or messages to notify about the shipping status of the goods./.

Lan Huong

(Trade Promotion Center)