Entertaining shopping experience a growing trend: TikTok rep

Today’s shopping experience is more than just buying products and services. Consumers are being entertained while making decisions about prices and products, says Nguyen Lam Thanh, a TikTok representative in Vietnam.

Speaking last Friday at the ongoing National E-commerce Week (Nov 25-Dec 1) in Hanoi, Thanh said many consumers no longer followed the traditional habit of shopping at stores. Instead, they are shopping from their desks, phones in hand.

He said the trend of shopping cum entertainment will continue to grow in the coming months and years. In large spaces, consumers will enjoy entertainment even as they “carefully consider their purchasing decisions.”

Businesses must embrace this shift to stay relevant and thrive in the changing marketplace, he added.

The latest report prepared by Google, Temasek and Bain & Company estimates that Vietnam’s e-commerce sector will grow 18% year-on-year in 2024 to $22 billion.

Lai Viet Anh, deputy director of the Department of E-Commerce and Digital Economy at the Ministry of Industry and Trade, said that the ministry has been focusing on promoting Vietnamese products through partnerships with influencers (KOLs - key opinion leaders), consumer advocates (KOCs - key opinion consumers) and e-commerce platforms.

The ongoing event has brought together 30 departments of industry and trade in the effort to spotlight local products.

Organizers said major e-commerce platforms were also playing a role by ensuring product authenticity and monitoring compliance with promotional commitments.

Thanh said that the TikTok platform will offer 15%-20% discounts throughout the event to boost shopping for and consumption of Vietnamese goods.

E-commerce platform Lazada is offering thousands of discount vouchers of 8% to 12%, with value of up to VND400,000 ($15.7), as well as free shipping vouchers. For a 60-hour online shopping period, Lazada will give away 1,000 vouchers worth VND50,000 ($2) each.