Livestream sales must not be fraudulent, what do businesses, KOLs, and KOCs say?

VTV.vn - The draft Law on E-commerce (amended) forces sellers and KOLs/KOCs to proactively change their working methods to adapt, moving towards a more transparent and responsible market.

Protect consumers and create a fair playing field

The draft Law on E-commerce recently submitted to the National Assembly amends the regulation that livestream sellers are not allowed to provide false or misleading information about the uses, origin, quality, price, and promotions of goods and services. However, platform owners must also verify the identity of livestreamers and publicly implement real-time control measures for livestream sales content.

On behalf of the Government, Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien presented the draft Law on E-commerce (amended).

These regulations are expected to create important technical barriers to protect consumers in the context of e-commerce developing too quickly, far beyond traditional control capabilities.

Ms. Ha Thu ( Hanoi ), a regular online shopper, shared: “If this regulation is issued, I will feel more secure when watching and buying goods via livestream. At least, I know that the person behind the livestream must take responsibility, and cannot just say something wrong and delete the clip.”

In fact, consumer confidence has been damaged after a series of incidents that caused a stir in public opinion. The case of Ngan 98 being prosecuted and temporarily detained for the production and trade of counterfeit functional foods, or Nguyen Thuc Thuy Tien - who won the prestigious beauty pageant crown, was also prosecuted and temporarily detained for false advertising and deceiving customers, showing the serious consequences when influential people support violating products.

These incidents have led to strong public support for tightening livestream sales activities – where trust and emotion used to be key factors in purchasing decisions.

At the 10th Session of the 15th National Assembly, delegate Nguyen Thi Tuyet Nga (Quang Tri Delegation) said that in reality, there have been many livestream sessions that brought in billions of dong in revenue but the State has not collected taxes, while counterfeit goods, fake goods, and floating functional foods are still easily accessible to consumers. Therefore, it is very necessary to legalize the concept of "livestream sales" and add legal responsibilities of e-commerce platforms in the Draft Law.

Sharing the same view, delegate Dang Thi Bao Trinh said that livestream sales are essentially commercial advertising, but the high level of dissemination and interaction makes it directly affect consumer behavior. Therefore, it is necessary to have measures to control and prevent violations, and clearly define the responsibilities between sellers, livestreamers and e-commerce platform owners.

“For products that require confirmation of advertising content, the seller must be the one requesting permission; and the livestreamer must present a confirmation document to the platform before broadcasting live. This ensures transparency, protects consumers, and creates a fair playing field,” said delegate Trinh.

Necessary screening time

Instead of hiring external KOLs/KOCs, some businesses have started to build an internal content creation team, both to control product quality and to orient the brand more consistently.

In the context of new regulations on managing livestream sales activities being tightened, many sellers and content creators have begun to proactively change their approach.

Mr. Vu Pham Quang Sang, owner of online store Haven Studio, said that his business has soon built an internal KOC team (KOC in-house) to control product quality and ensure consistency in brand image.

"In the past 9 months, our revenue has increased 4 times thanks to proactively creating in-house content. This helps us understand our customer base, consumer trends and can respond faster to the market," Mr. Sang shared.

From the perspective of a content creator, Mr. Dang Dinh Kien, a KOC in the technology field and founder of a livestream human resource training company, also believes that this is a "necessary screening time" for the market: "If the regulations are clear and there are specific instructions, this is an opportunity for KOLs/KOCs to build a more professional image. They are forced to select products, invest in content carefully, cooperate transparently and become trusted partners of businesses."

However, not everyone is adapting easily. Some content creators say the new requirements may make them "more cautious than ever". Chau Chi Lam, a KOC in the fashion industry, expressed concern that if they are jointly responsible for the product, many will be careful when accepting advertisements.

"Previously, KOLs only saw themselves as messengers. Now they have to verify the origin and source and not provide false information. We have to work more carefully and cannot rely solely on brand information," Mr. Lam shared.

Such caution reflects the reality that, as the market enters the standardization phase, not only businesses but also influential individuals are forced to transform. The new regulations, if implemented with specific instructions and clear support tools, will be a boost for the entire e-commerce ecosystem, from sellers, creators to platforms, to move towards transparency and sustainability.

Increase social responsibility

According to experts, tightening livestream sales activities is not intended to hinder creativity, but to shape a transparent and sustainable market development. It is necessary to carefully review regulations related to livestream content - a hot topic of public opinion recently, especially the responsibility of influencers (KOL/KOC) when participating in product promotion.

Tightening livestream sales activities is not intended to hinder creativity, but to shape a transparent and sustainable market development.

Thereby, carefully reviewing the specific contents of the digital environment, avoiding overlap with current laws, and clearly defining the responsibilities of each subject and management tools in accordance with the specific goals of the State.

In addition, separate regulations should be added on KOL/KOC management, social network responsibilities and specific sanctions, to create a clear legal corridor, consistent with the Law on Advertising and the Law on Consumer Protection.

At that time, Vietnam will have a "legal toolkit" strong enough to completely prevent the situation of "KOLs assisting counterfeit goods", strictly handle false advertising, while protecting consumer rights and building a transparent, fair and sustainable e-commerce environment.

Source: https://vtv.vn/ban-hang-livestream-khong-duoc-gian-doi-doanh-nghiep-kolkocnoigi-100251105174537794.htm