MoIT provides support for firms reluctant to embrace e-commerce
(VEN) - Many startups and senior exporters have yielded success in exports through e-commerce platforms.
Success
The Anh Tu International Plastic Co., Ltd. was opened in 2002, but only started exporting its products abroad when it was introduced to e-commerce platforms in 2011.
The company’s products are now widely available in the Republic of Korea, Japan, the US, Australia, and some European countries. Although the Covid-19 pandemic slowed export orders and resulted in large inventories and declining revenue, the company’s orders are now stable.
Anh Tu International Plastic Co., Ltd.’s Export Department Head Hoang Thi Huong said the company has systemized all its data on production technology and products, conducted data analysis on e-commerce platforms, identified target markets and made good use of free trade agreements in order to promote exports.
The VIXEMCO Import-Export Company has also been successful in e-commerce exports. Since the beginning of the year, the company’s revenue had reached an estimated VND1 billion. Doan Phuong Thuy, operations manager of the VIXEMCO Import-Export Company, said online trading has benefited the company in reaching international customers without limitations in terms of geographical distance and time zone difference, and saving it the necessity of providing showrooms to display its products.
Support for businesses
Despite the major potential of online exports, many businesses are unwilling to embrace this new form of trade due to language and information technology barriers.
Hoang Thi Huong said her company initially faced many problems in terms of language, business culture and consumer habits, as well as tariff barriers, rules of origin and trade remedies.
To overcome such difficulties, especially for small- and medium-sized enterprises, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has promoted cooperation with the world’s major e-commerce platforms, such as Alibaba.com and Amazon.com.
Nguyen Thi Minh Thuy, director of the Information Technology Application Center for Trade Promotion (INTEC) under the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency, said the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency has worked with major e-commerce platforms to focus on improving capacity and raising awareness of e-commerce advantages for businesses.
| The Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency has cooperated with Alibaba.com since October 2020 to organize training courses for about 1,000 enterprises and provide consultation for nearly 300 firms. Thuy pledged to provide support for businesses in a user-friendly manner, with the long-term goal of creating sustainable sales channels. |
