The sales organization is a crucial topic not only during market entry but also when strengthening operations in Vietnam. The key questions revolve around “How to introduce one’s products to the market?” and “How to get multiple products into the market?” In this article, GMA will present the sales channels currently being utilized for importing and distributing products in Vietnam.

I. FACEBOOK IS STILL THE NUMBER 1 ONLINE SALES CHANNEL

Facebook consistently ranks as the topmost effective online sales channel in 2022. In Vietnam, there are over 90 million Facebook accounts, with more than 10 million dedicated to online selling. If we consider the digital world as a city, then Facebook is undeniably one of the largest avenues leading to this city.

1) Sell Through Fanpage

Selling through a Fanpage allows you to reach a substantial number of potential customers through seeding, advertising, and increasing interactions and followers from customers.

• Advantages: This channel does not limit the target audience and showcases professionalism in both management and sales. It provides strong support for running advertisements and offers effective measurement through various tools.

• Disadvantages: Advertising costs on Fanpages can be relatively high, and the regulations for selling are strict, To optimize sales effectiveness on a Fanpage, it is advisable to choose peak posting hours. Additionally, engaging in activities such as mini-games or events can attract attention and increase interaction for posts and the fan page as a whole.

2) Sell Through Facebook Groups

Facebook has the feature of creating Groups for people to exchange, make friends, and share information. You can fully utilize these groups to sell products. Depending on the products you are selling, you should either create or join relevant Groups.

• Advantages: It increases the ability to reach users, supports seeding for posts, and drives traffic back to your Fanpage and online store website.
• Disadvantages: It heavily relies on group administrators, has strict rules, and difficulties in management, and updating posts.

3) Sell Through Messenger

Currently, Vietnamese people often integrate Messenger with websites and apps to enhance the effectiveness of online business. Additionally, you can also combine Messenger with other software like Chatbot, Chatfuel, Manychat, etc., to create an automated sales interaction system.

• Advantages: It increases interaction with customers and improves the conversion rate for sales.
• Disadvantages: Messages can easily get lost or overlooked, requiring close monitoring and continuous checking by staff to ensure timely responses to customer inquiries

II. INSTAGRAM – ALSO INCREASES SALES

Instagram is a social media platform that attracts a large number of users. As a platform primarily for sharing images, it is well-suited for reaching certain target customer groups. Some commonly sold products on Instagram include clothing, dresses, jewelry, cosmetics, and more. 

Attractive product images can help you achieve remarkable revenue. Instagram is linked with Facebook, and it serves as an excellent online sales channel, especially if your target customers who ar young individuals. 

To sell on Instagram, you need to capture visually appealing product photos, create a dedicated online store page, and organize events. Utilize the chat feature on Instagram to engage with Vietnamese customers or initiate conversations with potential buyers. Persuade customers to make purchases when they show interest in your products.

When selling on Instagram, it’s essential to understand its advantages and limitations, as follows:

• Advantages: Access to a potential young customer base, ease of attracting attention through images, low competition, high conversion rates, and cost-effective advertising.
• Limitations: Limited customer base, not a strong platform for reaching male customers, limited space for additional content, and no clickable links allowed.

III. ZALO – A SUPER APP

Zalo is also a highly promising market for you to sell products, with over 60 million users in Vietnam.

• Zalo OA (Zalo Official Account) is the official account of a business, organization, or group on Zalo. It is equivalent to a Fanpage on Facebook. Many organizations, celebrities, and Vietnamese companies use Zalo OA to allow their fans/customers to follow their latest news.
• Zalo Store: A sales channel where products are listed for sale, similar to an online shop on e-commerce platforms. 
• Zalo Broadcast: Allows users to send messages to those interested. 
• Zalo Menu: You can create a menu that includes your website address, hotline number, and various stores. Zalo Post: These posts help reach and attract customers to interact.

Additionally, you can run Zalo Ads campaigns to increase the visibility of your posts and videos on your page (similar to Facebook Ads). It allows you to reach 100% of your fans each time you make a post.

IV.  E-COMMERCE PLATFORMS – LOW SETUP & OPERATING COSTS

E-commerce platforms like Shopee, Lazada, Sendo, Tiki, and others have become familiar to many people. These platforms often offer shipping support, gaining the trust of many customers in Vietnam.

To expand your online business activities, you should also take advantage of these e-commerce marketplaces. These websites are developed for brands to create their own stores and list their products for sale. 

Engaging in online business on these platforms is simple. Just access the website, create an account, set up your store, and list your products. These e-commerce marketplaces also provide chat features for customers to contact you. However, this sales channel also has certain advantages and disadvantages:

• Advantages: Access to a vast number of customers, expanding the market locally and internationally, speeding up the customer’s shopping process, and saving costs for marketing campaigns.
• Disadvantages: High competition, challenges in persuading customers, facing unfavorable conditions, such as commission fees for the e-commerce platforms.

V. WEBSITE – AN ESSENTIAL INVESTMENT

In the business world, how can you make your brand memorable to customers? For many industries and product/service groups, having a website is crucial for building trust with customers. Especially, websites also allow customers to place orders and make online payments.

Once you have a website, you can utilize various advertising services on platforms like Facebook, Zalo, Google, SEO, etc. All of these can become links and marketing channels for your website. Consequently, you can attract a significant number of potential customers to visit your website.

• Advantages: High reliability, operates 24/7, effectively converts users into customers, supports brand building and development.
• Disadvantages: It incurs design and maintenance costs, and information security, and can be challenging to win over customers’ hearts.

VI. THE TRENDING ONLINE SALES CHANNEL: TIKTOK SHOP

TikTok Shop is one of the most effective online sales channels today. As a storefront integrated within the TikTok platform, users can watch videos and make purchases seamlessly without leaving the app. Combining the popularity of TikTok as a video entertainment app with its integrated shopping feature makes TikTok Shop a leading potential online sales channel.

TikTok’s user base spans from 12 to 40 years old, an age range with significant purchasing power and experience in online shopping. This presents both an opportunity and a challenge in persuading users to make purchases.

VII. YOUTUBE – A LONG-STANDING CHANNEL

YouTube is a highly popular video-sharing platform in Vietnam, making it a viable option for selling products. To utilize YouTube as a sales channel, you should create videos that provide advice, tutorials, or product reviews and upload them to your channel. In the video descriptions, include links to your website or other social media channels to attract traffic and increase sales opportunities.

• Advantages: Free account creation, the potential to directly profit from the YouTube channel, and the ability to drive traffic to your online store website or other social media channels.
• Disadvantages: Time-consuming to build a channel system and faces high competition in the platform.

VIII. LIVESTREAM IS A MUST 

With the advancement of technology, live streaming has become an excellent choice for business owners and sellers. It can help you attract hundreds or even thousands of buyers in Vietnam who tune in to watch your live broadcasts and make effective purchase decisions.

You can livestream on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or some e-commerce websites. Livestream products span various industries, including fashion, cosmetics, handbags, watches, shoes, and more.

• Advantages: Convenient, flexible, offers good reach and interaction and has a high success rate in converting viewers into customers.
• Disadvantages: Requires investing in live streaming equipment, and data security for customer information may be a concern.

IX. POSTING  ON WEBSITES DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY FOR SELLING

There are several domestic websites in Vietnam for selling stuff, such as chotot.vn, vatgia.vn, otofun.net, batdongsan.com, banxehoi.com, alonhadat.com, and more. These websites primarily function by allowing registered users to post their own ads in specific categories.

If you are interested in selling unique items, second-hand goods, or items with minimal capital and competition, you can utilize platforms like 5giay and Chotot to start your business. However, it’s essential to consider this as an additional marketing channel. You cannot sustain your business solely relying on this sales channel alone.

X. SUMMARIZE 

With the above channels, you can set up your business at no cost and start selling immediately. With time and help from local experts, you can optimize these channels and build up a sustainable business in Vietnam. 

Read more :

10 Marketing tips to manage a brand in Vietnam

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