Customers check out Quảng Ninh's OCOP products at a fair in Hạ Long City. — VNA/VNS Photo

Ly Ly Cao

HÀ NỘI — The changes of customer behaviour in shopping, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, and the quick development of information technology have led to the growth of e-commerce platforms, pushing sellers to change from the traditional brick-and-mortar trading method.

Understanding the popularity and importance of online shopping, Quảng Ninh, the leading province in the country regarding the number of OCOP (One Commune, One Product), has supported the promotion of OCOP products through e-commerce exchanges.

The policy of the province in the development of OCOP products is to pay special attention to the quality factor with the promotion of potential advantages and also the culture, production customs, and habits of the local people.

However, it is challenging to sell these items to consumers due to the fact that the majority of the province's establishments manufacturing and trading OCOP products, particularly traditional production facilities, are small and medium-sized firms, cooperatives, and business households.

Moreover, the appearance of a wide range of import goods with low prices and variety in design and quality is a big challenge for enterprises, while some commitments when the country participates in free trade agreements also lead to certain restrictions on Vietnamese goods compared to partner countries.

As a result, Quảng Ninh has undertaken numerous initiatives to assist people in developing agricultural products and OCOP, such as advertising in newspapers, radio, websites, and social networks such as Facebook, Zalo, and YouTube.

Quảng Ninh Industry and Trade Promotion and Development Center has established Quảng Ninh e-commerce website, https://teqni.gov.vn, to support traders, organisations and individuals to introduce, buy, and sell OCOP Quảng Ninh products. OCOP products are advertised on the floor with detailed information about models, prices, origin, and the manufacturer’s contacts, which are known and trusted by many customers.

Home page of the Quảng Ninh e-commerce exchange, https://teqni.gov.vn. — Screenshot photo

Numerous brands, such as Hạ Long squid cake, Cô Tô half dried cuttlefish, milk oyster floss, Bình Liêu vermicelli, Tiên Yến chicken, and Cái Rồng fish sauce, have become familiar to locals and visitors.

The exchange has signed contracts with professional distribution partners, such as fast delivery - GHN Express, Viettel, and VNPT, and has linked with other popular e-commerce platforms. It also collaborates with Viettel to integrate electronic payment features through Viettel Pay to provide maximum convenience for consumers when paying, as well as support for connection with large e-commerce site Amazon.

Since 2021, Quảng Ninh OCOP Fair has been associated with e-commerce trading floors for online purchases. The consumption of products is not only connected to supermarkets and retail distribution systems, but also to online stores on reputable e-commerce trading floors such as Sendo.vn, Tiki.vn, Voso.vn, Postmart.vn, Lazada.vn, and Shopee.vn.

Thanks to the new utility, in the near future, businesses can manage orders on any device, from computers to smart mobile devices. Transactions, orders, or customer care issues are all made through the exchanges, contributing to the protection of consumers and businesses that are just using the e-commerce platform for the first time.

Currently, Quảng Ninh’s cooperatives, like Thái An Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries Cooperative in Móng Cái City, use e-commerce sites.

Although the first phase faced many difficulties, this is a turning point in the development strategy of cooperatives. Through e-commerce channels, cooperatives can bring products to the market in the most effective way, thereby supporting local farmers and producers to consume commodities, making a significant contribution to the general economic development of the locality, and ensuring the new rural construction criteria set forth.

In addition, to overcome limitations and boost the promotion and trade of OCOP products, at the end of April, a new e-commerce platform, https://ocop.com.vn, was put into testing and completed on the occasion of the Summer OCOP Fair 2022.

Statistics seen by baoquangninh.com.vn showed that since its operation, the e-commerce platform has had an average of more than 1,000 visits per day. Revenue from online transactions through the exchange also increased rapidly, from VNĐ28.7 million (US$1,217) in 2017 to about VNĐ400 million in 2019 and billions of đồng this year.

This emphasises the importance of investing in and completing the e-commerce platform in order to keep up with the current rapid development trend. 

2022 is an important foundation year for the OCOP programme for the 2021-2025 period, ensuring that rural areas' per capita income reaches VNĐ56 million per year and contributing to the province's completion of building new rural areas.

Therefore, this year, the province continues to effectively implement OCOP in association with tourism and service development, strongly directing the concentrated production of agricultural goods along the value chain, branding, ensuring scale, and professionalism to affirm the brands. — VNS