Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - One exciting trend expected to grow significantly this year is video shopping, prompting sellers to enhance multi-channel strategies, improve services and offer exclusive promotions to stay competitive in the vibrant e-commerce market.
Vietnam’s e-commerce market is projected to reach nearly 400 trillion VND (about 16 billion USD) in 2025, with an increasing preference for interactive and video-driven shopping experiences. This shift, coupled with the entry of major brands and celebrities, is pushing smaller sellers to adapt quickly to stay competitive and keep up with evolving economic trends and consumer preferences.
Chu Thi Hien, a KOC (Key Opinion Consumer) and content creator based in Hangzhou, China, said she believed in 2025, smaller sellers must find their niche to stay competitive as big brands and celebrities enter the market.
She said that in order to succeed in live-stream sales, sellers should collaborate with at least 15 brands and aim for 10,000 to 20,000 orders per session.
She had to invest in customer service, product testing and partnerships with Chinese brands to offer the best products in a limited time.
Hien said that since last year, personal channels had shifted focus from livestreaming to video content and content conversion combined with a shopping cart to generate orders.
“Instead of just focusing on deep discounts during live streams, sellers will need to build sustainable business models, especially as big brands and celebrities enter the market,” Hien was quoted as saying in thesaigontimes.vn.
A report by Rentrack shows that by 2024, 2.71 billion shopped online worldwide, making up 33% of the world population. Global retail e-commerce sales are expected to grow by 39%, reaching over 8 trillion USD by 2027.
In Vietnam, e-commerce continues to maintain a steady growth of 18-25% annually. In 2024, the market size surpassed 25 billion USD, a 20% increase compared to 2023, accounting for around 9% of the total retail goods and consumer service revenue nationwide.
Live shopping has remained the leading trend in recent years, allowing businesses to sell their products or services directly to consumers. Mega livestreams, low-price programmes and vouchers can attract short-term customers, but market insiders also pointed out small sellers must focus on sustainability and optimisation due to rising e-commerce platform costs.
More competitive
Truong Nhat Duong, e-commerce director at Accesstrade Vietnam, predicted that the entry of large Chinese platforms like Temu, 1688 and Shein in 2025 would make the e-commerce market more competitive, but demand for high-quality, affordable products would remain key.
He emphasised that video shopping and live-streaming would be central drivers.
According to a recent Accesstrade report, the affiliate marketing industry in Vietnam was estimated to triple during 2022-24. Sellers and content creators will need to personalise shopping experiences, as e-commerce platforms invest in artificial intelligence and data analytics to better understand individual needs and suggest relevant products.
"Consumers remain highly price-sensitive and seek the best deals through convenient channels like video shopping and livestreaming. AI-driven personalisation and data analytics will play a crucial role in shaping consumer preferences and improving product recommendations," Duong said.
According to a Metric report, Vietnamese people were estimated to spend 319 trillion VND on online shopping in 2024, averaging 874 billion VND (34.4 million USD) per day (sales combined from five major e-commerce platforms — Shopee, Lazada, Tiki, Sendo and TikTok Shop). This accounts for nearly 6.5% of total retail sales in Vietnam.
Consumer trends are shifting towards essentials, with an increased preference for genuine or imported products. Notably, imports saw a significant rise, contributing to a 43% growth in sales on Shopee.
Demand for affordable products remains strong. In 2024, the budget segment (under 200,000 VND) recorded a 3.7% increase in revenue and market share, while high-end products (above 1 million VND) saw market share decline to 15.9% from 20.8%.
Metric forecasts that in 2025 e-commerce sales will increase by over 20% in both sales and product volume. Online shopping is expected to continue growing, driven by promotions and the blend of e-commerce with social media.
The Vietnam E-commerce and Digital Economy Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade forecasts the e-commerce market is projected to exceed 31 billion USD in 2025, with 60% of the population engaged in e-commerce.
Khoi Le, Country Director of Meta Vietnam, also noted that video content, especially livestreaming, would dominate in 2025.
Insider Intelligence reports that 60% of time on Instagram and Facebook is spent on videos, with Facebook leading livestreaming in Vietnam — 88% of users participate, and 76% make purchases based on livestreams.
Experts suggest that sellers should align with consumer preferences by offering smart, multifunctional, and eco-friendly products. Small-scale affiliate marketers can leverage technology to enhance customer engagement through tailored product offerings.
For content-driven marketers, building trust and authenticity will be crucial. This includes ensuring transparent product sourcing, genuine brand commitments and offering certified and traceable goods./.
VNA
