E-commerce activities have developed strongly in Viet Nam in recent years with an average revenue growth rate of 22 per cent per a year.

This was reported yesterday at a seminar on new trends in online business held in Dong Nai Province by the Viet Nam E-commerce Association (VECOM) and the Dong Nai Industry and Trade Department.

According to VECOM, e-commerce is a useful tool to support small- and medium-sized enterprises in accessing markets and efficiently advertising products and services to consumers.

It said about 40 per cent of enterprises have achieved higher revenues due to e-commerce, 52 per cent of the population in Việt Nam use the internet and 65 per cent of the population have shopped online.

VECOM deputy chairman Nguyen Ngoc Dung said about 70 per cent of customers found information about products and addresses of those selling them before coming to shops, enabling them to obtain essential information.

Dung said building informative, inviting websites is one of the first steps for enterprises seeking to participate in e-commerce. Choosing a domain name for their business is not just a matter of an internet address but should also be closely linked to their business and brand in order to create the enterprise’s reputation.

Also at the seminar, young start-up enterprenneurs shared their experience of using the internet to promote business activities, and pointed out risks in e-commerce activities.

Doan Quoc Tam, director of FTC Media, said that when enterprises have official websites with standard domain names, they are more likely to attract customers. This is especially true if enterprises are targeting global business and choosing a dot.com domain name to create credibility among customers.

According to a plan on development of e-commerce during the 2016-20 period, approved by the Prime Minister, Viet Nam’s retail e-commerce was expected to earn US$10 billion in 2020, accounting for half of total retail value of goods and services. — VNS