Social networks - effective business support tools

Shooting videos with real product feedback is a great way to build customer trust.

The digital age brings many business opportunities for enterprises. Social networking platforms have become an important factor in the development strategy of enterprises, one of the tools to support enterprises in promoting their brands, products and enhancing connections with customers.

Potential commercial solution

According to the 2022 e-commerce report of the Department of E-commerce and Digital Economy ( Ministry of Industry and Trade ), the scale of the retail e-commerce market in 2022 is estimated to reach 16.4 billion USD, accounting for about 7.5% of the country's revenue from consumer goods and services.

In 2021 alone, the percentage of online consumers using e-commerce websites was 78% and social networks was 42%. This reflects the importance of social networks in commercial activities. Currently, nearly 66% of websites and mobile applications have integrated social networks, the most popular being Facebook, Zalo, TikTok... supporting multi-channel sales activities for businesses, bringing a seamless shopping experience to customers.

Sharing about the benefits of selling through social networks, expert Le Do Duy An - lecturer at Top Olympia Business School, said: In the era of digitalized consumer society, there are more and more forms of business that take advantage of the effectiveness of social networks. Therefore, businesses are "forced" to change their thinking and use social networks as a support tool.

Social networks will help businesses expand their customer base, allowing them to build databases, specify customer profiles; increase the quality of shopping experiences; and reduce advertising costs.

Mr. Nguyen Khac Nhu - Deputy Director of the Department of Planning and Investment, commented: "In the context of current economic integration, sales distribution, dialogue and customer care activities play an important role, affecting business efficiency. In other words, no matter how modern and advanced production technology a business possesses, if it lacks investment in sales distribution channels, it will easily lose the opportunity to compete."

According to Mr. Nguyen Khac Nhu, in the past 10 years, the phrase "customer care" has appeared in many aspects of life. This is an activity that helps businesses increase interaction and retain customers, but it is very complicated, requiring each business to have an approach, understand the needs and characteristics of customers through regularly updating knowledge and skills to be confident and ready to apply it effectively to business strategies.

When businesses sell products through social networks

The Vietnam Retail Industry Report 2022: The “Take-Off” Omnichannel Model by Deloitte Vietnam has pointed out a prominent trend which is the rapid development of the omnichannel sales model since the COVID-19 pandemic. Nowadays, the majority of urban Vietnamese consumers have multi-channel consumption habits: at direct stores, brand websites, third-party online chat platforms, food delivery apps, etc.

As a young generation that quickly grasps new business trends, Ms. Le Thi Bao Trang - representative of Vinh Quang jelly business household (Ward 8, Vinh Long City) takes advantage of social networks to increase brand awareness and interact with customers: "In addition to investing in product designs and quality to suit tastes, we also take care of images and update product information on Facebook, Zalo, TikTok to increase coverage and reputation for the brand. Instead of spending time chatting with each customer before, now I join chat groups and proactively search for potential customers" - Ms. Trang shared.

As the trend of short videos that both advertise products and entertain on TikTok is becoming more and more popular, Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Huong - Director of Huong Nguyen Export Service Trading Company Limited (Cai Von Ward, Binh Minh Town) combines posting short videos about the unit's natural essential oil products with content about daily life, mottos... to attract attention.

Ms. Ngoc Huong said: “Not everyone who works in online sales quickly becomes a “sales warrior”. I have built a TikTok channel for more than 3 years. At first, I made videos introducing products but did not receive much attention. Recently, I invested in filming equipment, made videos with diverse topics, livestreamed (live broadcast) transparent sales... and received many followers. Thanks to that, the number of customers ordering products has also increased significantly.”

Having sold on the TikTok platform for more than a year, Ms. Nguyen Nhu Y - representative of Nguyen Long fine art wooden furniture store (Thanh Phuoc ward, Binh Minh town) is still concerned about the sales trend of "cursing as good as singing", "drama" (dramatic)...

“Not to mention the quality of the products in those videos, I just don’t understand why such content attracts so many views. For me, promoting a brand and selling products through social networks is like planting a tree, which takes a lot of time and requires persistent nurturing with healthy content. I often post customer feedback on interior products; enthusiastically answer questions and advise customers on designs during livestreams; and collaborate with local businesses to create quality and reputable sales content,” Ms. Nhu Y expressed.

Some businesses practice livestreaming sales at a training course on sales skills through social networks.

It can be seen that social networks have become a “bright star” in terms of commercial solutions, allowing businesses of all sizes to participate in the common playground. However, this requires functional sectors to have support measures associated with control, ensuring fair and transparent competition between businesses to protect the interests of consumers.

According to experts, in addition to creating products with guaranteed quality and appropriate value, businesses must focus on behavior on social networks, comply with e-commerce laws, and convey a true image of the brand to maintain customer trust.

Article and photos: THAO TIEN

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