How to protect consumers in the age of e-commerce?

(PLVN) - E-commerce is increasingly becoming a popular method of buying and selling among consumers, therefore, solutions to prevent and combat counterfeit goods in online shopping are an issue of strong concern to relevant entities.

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Phan Thi Thang said that one of the biggest obstacles for consumers when shopping online is the fear of product quality. In addition, the problem of poor quality goods, counterfeit goods, and goods that infringe intellectual property rights is also a prominent reality of both e-commerce and traditional trade. Therefore, the Ministry of Industry and Trade is determined to accompany e-commerce digital platforms, sellers and consumers to build a transparent e-commerce environment with rich positive experiences, promote the role of management agencies and enhance the responsibility of digital platforms/e-commerce floors, sellers in building trust and protecting consumer rights.

In particular, the role of e-commerce floor owners has been and is being put on top. One of the solutions proposed by the Ministry of Industry and Trade is to require the responsibility of e-commerce floor owners to control the quality, origin of the quality of invoices and documents... to compensate consumers. In case of detecting counterfeit goods within 24 hours, the floor owner must remove the seller's booth.

In fact, the request to remove violating stalls has been carried out by relevant entities over the past time. In particular, the latest update from the Department of E-commerce and Digital Economy shows that the Department has requested the removal of 44,000 violating products and 12,000 violating stalls via e-commerce. In addition, it has also coordinated with the police investigation agency and market management forces in localities to handle 120 websites violating in the field of e-commerce.

TikTok's data also shows that in the markets where TikTok is present, the platform has removed many violating products. TikTok Vietnam representative, Mr. Nguyen Lam Thanh, emphasized that the goal of "shopping with peace of mind" in the digital environment cannot be built from only one side. Therefore, TikTok Shop has called for the cooperation of the influencer community, content creators and sellers to help consumers choose high-quality goods, raise awareness of the benefits of online shopping, and encourage sellers and creators to comply with standards of transparency and responsibility.

Mr. Phan Manh Ha - Director of External Relations of Shopee e-commerce platform also said that the platform has promoted many programs to improve user experience. At the same time, it focuses on controlling the quality of goods and promotional information. The platform strengthens the system of identifying infringing and counterfeit products based on machine learning technology, and closely coordinates with genuine brands and authorities to strictly handle violating stores, maximally protecting consumer rights.

One of the most effective solutions to reduce counterfeit and fake goods in the e-commerce environment is for manufacturers to directly sell to consumers. Mr. Nguyen Van Luyen - Deputy General Director of Vietnam Chemical Group (Vinachem) said that this unit has built and put the Vinachemmart e-commerce platform into operation; Thousands of consumer products produced by Vinachem's subsidiaries have been introduced directly to consumers nationwide. "This method ensures clear origin, high quality, reasonable prices, helping consumers prevent counterfeit and poor quality goods, thereby strengthening trust in Vietnamese goods and encouraging the consumption of genuine and safe products" - Mr. Luyen emphasized.

In addition, the prevention and fight against counterfeit goods and fake goods are also continuously informed to consumers by functional units of the Ministry of Industry and Trade and e-commerce platforms. Notably, in the Online Friday that took place last weekend, for the first time, the Organizing Committee directly conducted a large-scale Mega Live session, with visual and vivid performances, providing detailed instructions to consumers on how to distinguish genuine and fake goods, and smart and safe shopping skills in the digital environment. At the same time, it will strengthen tools to protect consumers against the risk of counterfeit goods and commercial fraud. "This activity is expected to contribute to raising awareness, enhancing trust and protecting consumers in e-commerce transactions," said a representative of the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Source: https://baophapluat.vn/cach-nao-de-bao-ve-nguoi-tieu-dung-trong-thoi-dai-thuong-mai-dien-tu.html