Vietnam e-commerce shifts focus from low prices to quality

Vietnam's e-commerce sector is undergoing a strategic shift as the era of aggressive price-cutting and heavy subsidies concludes. Due to rising cost pressures, platforms are moving away from competing solely on low prices to focusing on product quality and service excellence.

Despite the diminishing price advantage, the market continues to expand significantly. Data from Metric indicates that in the first half of 2026, total sales across Vietnam's four major e-commerce platforms exceeded 291 trillion VND, representing a 44% increase compared to the same period the previous year. On average, Vietnamese consumers spend over 1.6 trillion VND daily on online shopping.

Experts note that while convenience is becoming a primary driver for consumers, the perceived savings from vouchers and promotional codes can sometimes be misleading. In some instances, listed prices are adjusted upward before promotions, or reward systems like coin returns function more as partial refunds for previous transactions rather than true discounts.