Amazon to Enter Vietnam’s Growing E-Commerce Market

Posted by Reading Time: 4 minutes

By: Dezan Shira & Associates
Editor: Koushan Das

The world’s leading e-commerce company, Amazon, is planning to enter Vietnam, one of the fastest growing e-commerce market in Asia. Initially, Amazon will only focus on providing support to domestic small and medium-sized firms for export of their products across borders and importation of goods into Vietnam through their ecosystem.

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E-Commerce industry

Driven by its young population, growing smartphone usage, and rising internet penetration, Vietnam continues to be an attractive investment destination for e-commerce companies. Vietnam has nearly 50 million smartphone users and has consistently ranked within the top 20 countries with the highest number of internet users. As per a recent study by Kantar Worldpanel, the share of e-commerce shoppers grew from 5.4 percent to 8.8 percent in the four largest cities in Vietnam in 2017.

According to Vietnam E-commerce Association (VECOM), the industry grew by 25 percent in 2017, much higher than other Southeast Asian countries. Total revenue generated from B2C e-commerce in 2016 reached US$5 billion, 3 percent of the total retail industry revenue and is estimated to reach US$10 billion by 2020, making Vietnam one of the most profitable markets for e-commerce firms.

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Competition

Vietnam’s e-commerce market has already attracted other major e-commerce retailers such as JD.com, Alibaba, and Shopee in the last few years. Amazon, being a late entrant will face intense competition from the existing players in the market, especially from Chinese e-commerce giants that have already invested billions to expand their presence in Vietnam.

Alibaba recently paid US$1 billion to increase its stake to 83 percent in Lazada, a major player that accounts for almost a third of the online shopping market in Vietnam. Another Chinese e-commerce firm JD.com became a strategic shareholder by investing US$44 million in Tiki, one of the largest online retailing platforms.

Other firms such as Shopee and Lotte are planning to expand their presence in Vietnam’s e-commerce market in the next few years as well.

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Going forward

Major challenges facing e-commerce firms in Vietnam include customer trust and logistics costs. As more foreign capital enters the market, the e-commerce industry will continue to evolve and benefit from their expertise, marketing strategies, capital, and experience in developing supporting industries.

On the other hand, retail firms will also try to expand their presence and prioritize the online markets in addition to their offline sales channels. As more and more customers shift towards online shopping for better deals and ease of shopping, offline retailers will try to adopt a multichannel approach to sales for a sustainable growth.


About Us

Vietnam Briefing is published by Asia Briefing, a subsidiary of Dezan Shira & Associates. We produce material for foreign investors throughout Eurasia, including ASEAN, China, India, Indonesia, Russia & the Silk Road. For editorial matters please contact us here and for a complimentary subscription to our products, please click here.

Dezan Shira & Associates provide business intelligence, due diligence, legal, tax and advisory services throughout the Vietnam and the Asian region. We maintain offices in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, as well as throughout China, South-East Asia, India, and Russia. For assistance with investments into Vietnam please contact us at vietnam@dezshira.com or visit us at www.dezshira.com

 

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