It goes without saying that trust affects every aspect of a business. If enterprises can establish trust with their partners, they can save time and money in maintaining relationships. If enterprises create trust with customers, meanwhile, they can assert their position in the market and build credibility with customers and create a solid brand reputation.

In recent years, there have been repeated scandals and crises in Vietnam relating to the irresponsible behavior of businesses towards customers, with typical examples involving the production and consumption of products of unknown origin or of poor safety and quality. Some enterprises lack transparency and accuracy and their after-sales services don’t live up to promises. Especially commonplace is unhygienic food and non-standard processing in the retail food and service industry.

Such matters have raised a lot of questions about business ethics as well as the solution to building and maintaining trust among consumers.

“Consumer Trust” - the glue between customers and businesses

A Golin / Harris poll showed that 39 per cent of respondents said they would start to or continue to shop or transact with a company or brand based on its trust or credibility and 53 per cent said they would terminate transacting with a competitor if they were concerned about trust issues. While trust offers tremendous benefits to a business, suspicion or loss of trust can cause significant damage.

The consumer goods market is extremely competitive, and under that pressure, quality is at the core but is not enough. Enterprises need to differentiate themselves and make an impression in the “heart” with the brand value of their product.

In consumer forums, the majority of consumers say that choosing a quality product is not too difficult. As consumers, they are not only interested in the quality of the product but also need brand value and trust and want to know what the product brings to the community through the company’s philosophy and production behavior. Companies that can show consumers what they do will win them over.

Mr. Nguyen The Nhat Toan, Marketing Director of McDonald's Vietnam (white shirt, middle) receives a certificate for McDonald's Chicken being honored in the Top 100 Trusted & Consumed products (Photo: McDonald Vietnam)

Mr. Nguyen The Nhat Toan, Marketing Director of McDonald's Vietnam (white shirt, middle) receives a certificate for McDonald's Chicken being honored in the Top 100 Trusted & Consumed products (Photo: McDonald Vietnam)

Four months after being launched, McDonald's has served over 1 million pieces of fried chicken, helping it achieve impressive growth in 2018.

“Localization” to win consumer trust

More than 60 per cent of Vietnam’s population is under 35 years of age and they seek more diverse experiences. As the fastest-growing economy in the region, Vietnam is becoming a magnet, attracting more and more fast food brands from around the world.

While customers aged 14 to 29 choose convenience, speed, modern services, and stylish cuisine, with innovative Western dishes, customers over the age of 30 have families with little children and are interested in food quality, origin and safety. Vietnam is a young market and has many opportunities to grow, but there are also many challenges due to its diverse local cuisine being widely sold at very reasonable prices.

Therefore, food brands have wisely entered the Vietnamese market with a strategy of getting to know the local area by “localizing” the menu to match tastes while maintaining their “global brand identity” as well as core values.

Strategy of the giant McDonald’s

In July, McDonald’s launched its Crispy Fried Chicken, with an exclusive American-standard recipe, in a bid to redefine the quality of fried chicken. Through modifying the dish to make it more familiar with most Vietnamese, especially the younger generation, McDonald’s is hoping to trigger a new wave in the fast food sector.

With an exclusive US-standard recipe and a closed process from farm to processing and slaughtering that meets standards such as HACCP, GMP, and SQMS in food hygiene and safety and the quality assurance requirements of McDonald’s globally, animal slaughtering procedures have made a difference to McDonald’s fried chicken and captured a lot of consumer trust. After four months of launching, McDonald’s has served over one million chicken pieces, helping the restaurant chain record impressive growth this year.

Launched in July of this year, McDonald's ambition is to redefine the standard of fried chicken and it expects to trigger a new wave in the fast food industry.

After more than two years of research and development, McDonald’s released its fried chicken, which meets the four major demands of consumers” “chewy meat, crispy skin, a good aroma, and moist inside”, especially thanks to its batter formula and marinating formula, using automated marinating equipment to ensure the right consistency. Each section of the chicken has structure and different characteristics depending on time, speed and pressure. McDonald’s fried chicken meets permeability requirements, which, according to a Nielsen survey, no other brand in the market has managed to achieve.

On November 29, 2019, McDonald’s made it on to the TOP 100 PRODUCTS / SERVICES TRUSTED AND CONSUMED IN 2019 as voted by readers of Vietnam Economic Times’ “TU VAN TIEU DUNG” magazine.

Since 2006, The Trusted and Consumed Program of Vietnam has been held annually and votes to honor 100 excellent product or service brands on a national scale. The program is determined by consumer opinion on product quality and consumer trust in seven categories and conducted through the publication network of Vietnam Economic Times.

VN Economic Times