Vietnamese products expand domestic market through experiences, digital platforms

Vietnam’s domestic market is opening up through a multi-channel approach, as trade promotion moves beyond traditional product displays and direct business matching to incorporate digital transformation, livestream shopping and traceability.

The approach is creating more opportunities for businesses, cooperatives, household producers and OCOP-certified product makers to reach consumers while receiving direct feedback on demand, product quality and purchasing habits.

As the Government seeks stronger economic growth, the domestic market is an important potential growth driver. But turning domestic purchasing power into sustained growth requires more than increasing the supply of goods. It also depends on the ability to put the right products in front of the right consumers, through the right channels and in line with actual demand.

Vietnamese products move from display to experience and sales

One notable change is that trade promotion programmes are gradually moving from simple product showcases toward a combination of hands-on experiences and digital sales.

In An Giang province, programmes to connect and promote local products are being carried out alongside support for businesses adopting traceability systems, digital tools and livestream selling.

According to Nguyen Thong Nhat, director of the An Giang Department of Industry and Trade, the programmes give local businesses opportunities to introduce key products and One Commune One Product (OCOP) items to consumers while strengthening brand value and expanding sales channels.

Consumers are no longer limited to viewing products on display. They can experience them, ask questions, see how they are used and then continue exploring or purchasing them through digital platforms.

For businesses, the model also creates a direct channel for receiving feedback from the market. Such information can help them adjust products, packaging, prices and distribution methods to better meet consumer needs.

Local specialties look beyond their home markets

For regional specialties, the biggest challenge is often not a lack of products, but the ability to expand beyond local markets.

The “Lang Son Corner” programne in Hanoi offers one example. A wide range of products, including custard apples, star anise, cinnamon, grass jelly, khâu nhục, Chinese-style sausage, ngai leaf cakes and OCOP products, were brought directly to consumers in a major urban market.

But the significance goes beyond the physical display space. By combining direct product promotion with livestreaming on digital platforms, products traditionally associated with one locality can reach consumers much farther away.

According to Doan Thanh Cong, secretary of the Lang Son Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, the approach is particularly useful for young businesses, youth cooperatives and OCOP producers, giving them opportunities not only to promote products directly but also to learn how to build brands and develop modern sales channels.

A local specialty therefore needs more than its reputation as a regional product to travel further. Brand stories, quality, packaging, traceability and the ability to reach consumers through digital platforms are increasingly becoming part of competitiveness.

Seafood producers seek more room in the domestic market

The approach also offers opportunities for sectors with strong export capacity. In the seafood industry, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) says the domestic market still has substantial room for growth, particularly for deep-processed foods, value-added products, convenient products and packaging suited to young families, modern retail, food services and e-commerce.

According to Le Hang, VASEP deputy secretary general, many seafood businesses are operating in both export and domestic markets.

Regardless of where products are sold, companies face increasingly demanding requirements for quality, food safety, traceability and brand credibility.

Closer links with distribution systems can help producers better understand the needs of different customer segments, while retailers gain more choices in terms of products and supply sources.

The important shift is that businesses and distributors are becoming more proactive in bringing products to where consumers are, rather than simply waiting for consumers to find them.

From trade promotion to market building

From a policy perspective, Tran Huu Linh, director General of the Domestic Market Surveillance and Development Department, said the “Sức sống hàng Việt” programmes are creating another multi-channel link between products and consumers.

The combination of shopping spaces, direct experiences and digital platforms means local products do not have to disappear from the market once a promotional event ends. They can continue reaching consumers online after the event.

Livestreaming is therefore more than a promotional tool. When used systematically, it can become part of the process of bringing products into the digital consumer ecosystem, where buyers can learn about products, compare options, interact with sellers and place orders as part of the same journey.

For businesses, this requires a different approach to trade promotion. It is no longer enough to bring products to an exhibition and wait for customers to buy them.

Companies also need to standardize product information, build brands, ensure traceability, prepare reliable supply capacity and maintain sales channels after promotional activities end.

Turning domestic demand into a growth driver

Vietnam’s domestic market is large, but its potential can translate into stronger growth only when goods are efficiently connected with consumer demand.

Multi-channel trade promotion is creating a new link between production and the market. Businesses gain places to test products, consumers get opportunities to experience them, distributors gain a clearer understanding of demand, while digital platforms extend the life of promotional activities.

More importantly, the approach gives products once known mainly within a particular locality a chance to reach wider markets, while helping domestic businesses strengthen their competitiveness.

From a booth to a livestream, from a product experience to an order, trade promotion activities are becoming a series of continuous touchpoints connecting Vietnamese products with consumers.

When local products can be seen, experienced, trusted and purchased conveniently through both physical and digital channels, the domestic market can become more than a place to sell goods. It can become an important driver of growth for Vietnamese businesses and the wider economy.

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