At an e-commerce training session in Thai Nguyen Province in northern Vietnam, local tea farmers used livestream equipment for the first time to introduce their products, explain traditional production methods, and interact directly with online customers.
The experience reflects a broader shift as digital commerce becomes an increasingly important sales channel for household businesses and cooperatives. For many enterprises, however, opening an online store is only the first step.
Vietnam's household businesses and SMEs play a significant role in the country's economy. Over the past decade, e-commerce has enabled many of them to reach customers nationwide while reducing some of the geographical and operational constraints of traditional retail.
As competition grows, businesses face new challenges, including attracting customers, improving sales conversion, managing orders efficiently, and building recognizable brands.
Hoang Duong, a representative of a business operating on Shopee, said many first-time sellers find the transition to digital commerce challenging because online operations require different skills from traditional retail.
