People make non-cash payments at a supermarket in Ninh Thuận Province.

NINH THUẬN — Ninh Thuận Province is implementing solutions to promote e-commerce in production facilities, businesses and communities to modernise the distribution system and expand consumption.

E-commerce is becoming an inevitable trend in modern business, attracting a large number of businesses and consumers, as it helps save time, reduce transaction and promotion costs, find partners, and generally improve competitiveness.

More and more businesses in Ninh Thuận are realising its advantages and tying up with e-commerce platforms such as Sendo, Lazada, Tiki, and Shopee and social media platforms to promote their products.

These platforms are becoming effective sales channels for typical local products such as grape, apple, aloe vera, fish sauce, dried seafoods, asparagus, purple onion, garlic, bird’s nest, garlic, seaweed jam, and dried meats.

Trịnh Nguyễn Đoàn, manager of Quang Minh, a fish sauce production facility in Thuận Nam District, said his plant makes three products that have been recognised by Ninh Thuận Province as three-star One Commune - One Product (OCOP) items.

The company is now selling on Ninh Thuận's e-commerce platform and others such as Lazada and Shopee, he said.

According to the Province Department of Industry and Trade, to date, more than 90 businesses are on the province's e-commerce platform (sanphamninhthuan.vn) with 350 products.

They include all of the province's three-star OCOP products.

Local banks are also actively promoting modern solutions such as Internet, mobile and digital banking, QR code payments and cards.

With the goal of becoming a pioneer in e-commerce applications, the province has identified four key issues to develop its digital economy: non-cash payments, economic digitisation, digital management and digital data.

The province aims to have the digital economy accounting for about 12 per cent of its economy by this year, 30 per cent of small and medium-sized enterprises using digital platforms, all businesses using electronic invoices, e-commerce accounting for over 7 per cent of retail sales, and having all OCOP products online.

Trần Quốc Sanh, deputy director of the province Department of Industry and Trade, said e-commerce helped businesses access new distribution methods, improve their competitiveness by reducing costs and expand their markets.

To promote digitisation, Ninh Thuận would coordinate with banks and credit institutions to continue promotion of digital payment accounts and e-wallets.

It would also propagate and encourage stores, supermarkets, hospitals, and schools to accept non-cash payments.

The department would coordinate with the Department of E-Commerce and Digital Economy and the Việt Nam E-Commerce Association to link up local businesses with e-commerce platforms.

With these solutions, the province hopes to have 55 per cent of its population shopping online by 2025. VNS