Pre-Tet days are not only the profitable season for traditional retailers, but also for online supermarkets. The markets have been mushrooming to satisfy the demand of the busy people, who do not have time to go to traditional markets to do their shopping.

According to Le Thanh Canh, Business Director of G.O.L, the owner of the online market www.golmart.com.vn, despite a lot of difficulties and the increases in the prices of consumer goods, the demand for online purchases is 15-20 percent higher than in 2009. she believes that the demand may increase by 30 percent in the next days, or days just before Tet.

The best sellers these days are processed cooking for Tet parties, such as sweets, breweries and drinks, and pork pies.

Canh says that baskets of Tet gifts have been selling Especially, well. The products have been ordered to be used as the Tet gifts for the companies’ staff or their partners. Clients can select items for the baskets, or order the baskets already designed.  the prices range between 200,000 and 600,000 dong.

“In the last week alone, we got 10 big orders. A company ordered 500 baskets of gifts with the value of 300,000 dong each,” Canh reveals.

Though feeling happy with the increasing number of clients, online traders admit that many consumers still do not like making purchase via Internet. They want to see the products with their eyes and touch the products with their hands to find out the real quality of the products before deciding whether to purchase them. Besides, customers fear that they may have troubles with online payment.

According to Hoa Binh Software Solution, the owner of chodientu.vn and nganluong.vn, consumers should buy goods from the websites with integrated online payment gateway or the websites which offer safe payment methods.

Nguyen Hoa Binh, Director of Hoa Binh Company, said that to date, the number of individual customers who purchase goods and use the services from the two above said websites has increased by 155 percent, while the number of customers-enterprises has increased by 170 percent in comparison with the same period of the last year.

In terms of import-export, Bui Duc Tuan, Director of the E-commerce Centre of OSB, the representative of Alibaba.com in Vietnam, said that 140,000 domestic members had joined Alibaba.com by December 31, 2010, an increase of 40 percent over the same period of 2009. This means that 4000-5000 new enterprises join Alibaba.com every month. The high number has helped add Vietnam into the list of the “hot regions”.

Experts say that online markets have become more and more popular not only because of their convenience, but also because customers now feel safer with purchases thanks to the participation of e-wallets. Meanwhile, 15 banks in HCM City have connected the POS system.

Canh from G.O.L says that the online retailer now offers different non-cash payment methods in order to bring convenience to customers (payment through e-wallet, ATM card or money transfer). The company regularly updates the information about goods sale to banks. Right after delivering goods to customers, the company will inform the banks. The banks then will temporarily block the sums of money used to purchase the goods for 24 hours. Only after the 24 hours, if customers do not make any complaints, will the banks transfer the money to the company.

Online markets have been trying to attract customers by offering a lot of extra services. For example, they can enjoy free delivery services. Also, customers can exchange the goods if they are not satisfied.

Source: Thoi bao Vi tinh Saigon