The capital city of Ha Noi has been implementing solutions to open up sales channels as the COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on the production and circulation of goods, in particular 'One Commune, One Product' (OCOP) goods.
OCOP goods are highly localised products, often food, that come from one small specific area.
During social distancing, e-commerce platforms have become shopping destinations for a large number of Ha Noi consumers. This is an opportunity for OCOP businesses to switch to online trading.
Director of Ubofood Viet Nam Do Hoang Thach said that the company was distributing more than 1,500 products from 200 suppliers in 30 provinces and cities, of which there are nearly 100 OCOP products of Ha Noi.
Due to the convenience and safety of e-commerce, the number of customers buying products grew during this time, and the revenue of the company in one month of social distancing increased 10 times compared to previously, he said.
To sell on social networks, OCOP businesses need to be proficient in technology, sales skills, photography, writing and online communication. To sell products on e-commerce platforms, products need to meet many quality standards set by the platforms.
The coordination office of the Ha Noi new rural development programme said that the city had 1,054 OCOP products by the end of last year, mainly agricultural produce, food, beverages, and handicrafts.
The promotion of these products was particularly important: Participating in e-commerce, online sales and livestreams to promote the products is an effective solution to help maintain the supply chain of agricultural produce during the pandemic, said the office.
It has organised the "OCOP product livestream festival" from June, to support the consumption of OCOP products.
It also organised free online training programmes to improve the knowledge and sales skills of participants.
Thereby, businesses, co-operatives and producers can connect with each other to form e-commerce agricultural produce supply chains.
General Director of MD Queens JSC Trinh Kim Thu said that through participating in the training, they had grasped skills in branding and livestream sales to bring OCOP products to the market, and at the same time, participants had also exchanged and shared difficulties and experiences in selling on e-commerce systems and social networks.
Online business models had brought positive effects in social life, not only ensuring disease prevention and control but also in line with the future development trend of e-commerce, she added. — VNS