VietNamNet Bridge – More than 200 e-commerce companies have registered to take part in the first online Black Friday, scheduled on December 5, said Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hung, Secretary General of the Vietnam E-Commerce Association.

Similar to Black Friday in the United States, “Online Shopping Day” (December 5) is anticipated to be a day businesses come out with “Doorbuster Sales” and special discounts to attract customers.

Online Shopping Day is a special event promoted by the Ministry of Industry and Trade E-Commerce Department. During the day, consumers will enjoy such perks as free shipping costs and other promotional incentives from participating businesses when they purchase items online.

Hung said that the organizers hoped that millions of people would participate in the event to enjoy special promotions.

Mr. Tran Huu Linh, Head of the E-Commerce Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, said that Vietnam has around 120,000 businesses which own online shopping websites. Despite the huge number of websites, consumers have encountered a number of hindrances as they are unfamiliar with shopping online procedures. Therefore, the online shopping day is established to develop e-commerce services effectively.

Hung said according to a recent survey by Google, 44% of Internet users in Vietnam who have not shopped online wanted to buy online for the first time in the next 12 months. Therefore, the dissemination of the benefits of shopping online is very meaningful to encourage those who have never tried online shopping.

“The specific objective of the first online shopping day is to encourage customers to trust online shopping and to see its convenience through real experience, along with enjoying big promotions,” Hung said.

According to statistics by the E-Commerce and IT Department, in 2013 36% of the population used the Internet and 57% of them shopped online, spending $120 per person on average.

S. Tung