With attractive growth potential, Vietnam’s digital economy is welcoming the participation of many big names, including Alibaba with its recent investment in Masan.
An employee scans and checks products in a Tiki warehouse in Ho Chi Minh City. (Photo: Bloomberg) Crossing the crowded streets of Ho Chi Minh City in a Honda, Ho Duc Quang carries toys, books and other packages to deliver to Tiki.vn customers. Quang, 25, needs to be quick, as Tiki promises to deliver in 2 hours. He uses AirPods to notify customers of his arrival, but there is one thing that slows down this shipper: Quang has to wait for customers to open the package, confirm the correct goods before departing for the next trip. It is a mandatory operation for those who do not trust online sellers. Quang’s speedy deliveries between the city of 9 million people are just part of a campaign to win over customers, many of whom shop online for the first time due to the pandemic. Winning isn’t easy where only about a third of adults have a bank account and less than 5% have a credit card. Most shopping at convenience stores, traditional markets. Although Euromonitor International estimates that e-commerce will only account for 3% of Vietnam’s retail market in 2020, the lowest in Southeast Asia, the potential of the market is extremely attractive. According to a report by Google, Temasek, Bain & Co, Vietnam’s digital economy is predicted to reach US$52 billion by 2025, an increase of 29% compared to 2020. Competition for customers Startups backed by Warburg Pincus, Goldman Sachs, JD.com or Shopee, Amazon are all targeting the Vietnamese middle class. From 2016 to the first half of 2020, investors poured $1.9 billion into the domestic online sector. Mr. Ralf Matthaes, Managing Director of Infocus Mekong Research, assessed that Vietnam is in the early stages of becoming a digital society with a young and technology-loving population. Therefore, these companies have to compete with each other to provide services. The government has set a target of online shopping to account for 10% of Vietnam’s retail sales by 2025. The regulator wants to reduce cash payments to create a more transparent, modern economy through increased non-payment of transactions. cash for public services and improve the regulatory framework for electronic payments. The consortium led by Alibaba and Baring Private Equity Asia will invest $400 million in exchange for a 5.5% stake in CrownX of Masan retail group. Under the agreement, Masan will cooperate with Lazada – Alibaba’s e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia. Kenny Ho, Southeast Asia Investment Director of Alibaba, affirmed that the combination of Alibaba’s online retail expertise, Lazada’s Vietnam platform, and Masan’s offline network will be a powerful catalyst for the company’s success. modernization of Vietnam’s retail market. In January, M-Service, the startup behind the Momo e-wallet, raised more than $100 million from an investment group, including Warburg Pincus. For the first time in their shopping life, Vietnamese people are “encircled” by the form of customer-first retailing that is common in developed economies. Trust of customers Online retailers are trying to woo shoppers wary of scam stores that don’t offer return policies. According to economist Nguyen Tri Hieu, “Vietnamese people don’t trust what they can’t see. Usually, they need to know what they’re buying. They have to smell it and touch it.” So e-commerce sites raced to launch marketing campaigns, offering discounts on everything from AirPods to Samsung washing machines. E-wallet startup that offers coupons. Tiki applies a refund policy of up to 30 days. Nguyen Thi Kim Chi, 31, who works for an entertainment website, said that 70% off and customer-oriented items attract her. Buyers are empowered to evaluate products and services online. If normal, they often have to go to the store complaining about the low quality of the product and there may be quarrels but nothing is corrected. According to Mr. Matthase, the epidemic will boost digital retail as 30% more Vietnamese will shop for everything from food to electronics online in 2020. Retail shifting According to Jeffrey Perlman, managing director of Warburg Pincus in Singapore, Vietnam’s retail market changes faster than other markets. Tiki is currently the largest domestic e-commerce platform in the country. Software engineer Tran Ngoc Thai Son built Tiki in 2010 from $5,000. Mr. Son writes code, buys 100 English books from Amazon, and delivers it by himself by motorbike. Currently, Tiki has 3,100 employees and a state-of-the-art logistics operations system overseen by Henry Low, former head of Amazon and Coupang. Along with the company’s growth is the effort to attract customers. Mr. Son deployed a system to filter counterfeit goods and sided with customers. For example, if there is a defect in a newly purchased phone, the customer wants to return it, they will support 100%. If the seller is not okay with this decision, Tiki will shut down their account. From diapers to beer According to Crunchbase, investors like Sumitomo, JD.com have invested $192.5 million in Tiki. Mr. Son anticipates more rounds of funding and prepares for an IPO. According to Mr. Low, Tiki handles less than 2 million orders per month. Employees busy arranging everything from diapers and diapers to Corona beer in the 10,000-square-foot fulfillment center. Tiki applies artificial intelligence and robots capable of transporting 800kg products to speed things up. Thanks to the logistics system, Mr. Son aims to transport 500,000 products in 2 hours, up from 200,000 currently, helping Tiki achieve its profit target. Du Lam (According to Bloomberg)
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