Digital consumption - contributing to promoting national digital transformation

Aiming to support people to enjoy the benefits of digital transformation, supporting digital technology businesses to reach a large number of potential customers, state agencies and the business community have coordinated to implement policies to reduce prices and offer incentives for using digital products and services up to 50% in October 2022. The policy aims to attract people's attention to online shopping and other digital commercial activities, thereby popularizing digital skills - gradually forming digital citizens, promoting the development of the digital economy and digital society.

Mr. Nguyen Binh Minh - Member of the Executive Committee of the Vietnam E-commerce Association and also an online businessman, commented: “I think such efforts by state agencies are very important to promote the movement of shifting to using digital technologies across the country. Currently, many people still do not have the habit of using many services and products in the digital environment. It is mainly due to habit, not because it is too difficult.

Encouraging users, especially to have digital experiments and experiences. Digital experiences often bring unexpected results, users will love digital activities. Encouraging and promoting the digital consumption movement will create a wave to help users quickly shift their activities to the digital environment.

Illustration photo.

This is not the subjective opinion of an expert in online buying and selling. It is the reality, the experience that Ms. Nguyen Thu Lan in Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi has drawn after a period of digital experience, especially learning about and participating in Digital Consumer Month: “I don’t have time to go, I buy online. There are good quality products. I have paid online. I feel safe and they don’t cheat me at all. I want online buying and selling to develop more.”

Initial results confirm that Digital Consumption Month (October 2022) is one of the initial steps - helping the social community gradually gain basic understanding, to participate more actively in digital activities in the "component" of digital society - digital economy - digital government.

However, through this, Mr. Dang Tung Anh - Deputy Director of the Digital Government Center, National Digital Transformation Agency, Ministry of Information and Communications also affirmed the fact that when participating in the online environment, the habits of many consumers will not stop at 1 or 2 activities such as online shopping or listening to online learning, but often browse, use or use other digital services at the same time: video games, digital entertainment, social networks, participating in digital publishing... on multiple channels, posing many potential risks and challenges.

Mr. Dang Tung Anh - Deputy Director of the Digital Government Center, National Digital Transformation Agency, Ministry of Information and Communications cited: “For example, when conducting transactions in the digital environment, people need to identify which content and websites are trustworthy, to avoid providing information to services and websites of unknown origin, information leaks, and fraud. In addition, in the digital environment, data is the most important. In the family, our assets have locks and safes, but in the digital environment, personal accounts, private data images must be secured, protected, and prevented from being violated. It is necessary to monitor information on media channels to update information security issues in the digital environment. Awareness of digital is already there, but awareness of digital security is very important”.

Vietnamese people are using the internet a lot - with nearly 70 million people, accounting for about 70% of the population, each person accessing the internet for several hours a day on average, performing many different digital consumption activities. That is a happy reality - a favorable condition to promote Vietnam's digital economy, Vietnam's digital government, and Vietnam's future digital society. And although it only takes place within 1 month, October - Digital Consumption Month 2022 has partly affirmed the efforts to promote digital transformation of the authorities.

However, according to the analysis of economic expert, Dr. Nguyen Dinh Cung, not only should we organize programs that promote digital experiences with greater frequency, but we also need more systematic strategies to build trust among consumers.

“I observe that the online market is very busy, especially among young people, they buy and sell online more. But this is a long-term process, it needs to be done continuously for a long time, not just launched for a few months. When there is any problem that can harm the parties involved, in the transaction, if anyone is disadvantaged, the State needs to have tools to support and protect them” - Dr. Nguyen Dinh Cung said.

For the first time, Vietnam has a Digital Consumption Month. Although this is just one of the outstanding activities within the framework of the National Digital Transformation Day on October 10, it has received attention from the media and the social community. The initial effectiveness may not have met expectations in terms of quantity, but with the goal of "not simply incentives, discounts, stimulating digital consumption but attracting experiences and improving digital skills for people, towards digital government activities, digital economy, digital society", it is clear that more Digital Consumption Months like October 2022 are needed./.