During shopping season, traditional markets struggle to retain customers.

(Baohatinh.vn) - At this time, business stall owners at Ha Tinh Market have imported many winter goods but purchasing power has not increased significantly.

Mrs. Nguyen Thi Huong's stall has been in operation for nearly 20 years, but now only a few regular customers remain.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong, a clothing vendor at Ha Tinh Market (Thanh Sen Ward) for nearly 20 years, said that in the past, on weekends, people came to the market in droves and sold goods quickly, but for many years now, the number of customers has decreased by about 50%, with only a few regular customers still coming.

“In the morning, there are almost no customers, we open the shop and then sit idle, sometimes in the afternoon we can only open the shop to sell 1-2 items. On weekends during the changing seasons like now, purchasing power increases a bit but sales are still very slow. To retain customers, every year, I still have to update new products but almost every model is only sold by half and is left in inventory. The stall is a billion-dollar investment, it is a pity to throw it away, but it is a sin to keep it,” Ms. Huong said sadly.

The lack of customers makes Ms. Le Thi Nhu Quynh not dare to import many new products for fear of inventory.

Not only the clothing stalls but also stalls selling shoes, bedding, pillows and mattresses, the purchasing power in the early days of winter is equally gloomy. Ms. Le Thi Nhu Quynh - owner of the bedding, bedding, pillows and mattress shop at gate number 1 said: “As the largest traditional market in the province, in the past, in addition to customers in the city, the market also welcomed a large number of customers from other localities to shop, especially during the transitional season. However, in recent years, the number of customers has decreased significantly, and from the Lunar New Year 2025 onwards, it has been deserted. In the days when the weather turned cold, people returned to the market but the number of customers was not consistent, only a few hours a day. This year, I only dared to spend more than 100 million to get new goods, not daring to buy a lot because the current stall has 2/3 of inventory.”

The shoe and sandal stall is selling the most plastic slippers and foam slippers for indoor use.

In the footwear section, the most sold items of the day are plastic slippers and foam slippers for indoor use, while the fashion footwear models are almost completely quiet on the shelves. Ms. Ho Thi My said: “Almost no one asks to buy sports shoes or warm shoes, customers mainly only buy plastic slippers and foam slippers for indoor use in winter. Each order is only a few tens of thousands of dong, at most more than 100 thousand dong, so the actual profit is not much.”

The reason why traditional markets have lost their appeal in recent times is that the number of customers has decreased significantly compared to before, and purchasing power is weak. Meanwhile, modern sales channels, from supermarkets to e-commerce, are constantly expanding and dominating the market, changing traditional consumer habits. The convenience of being able to sit at home to choose goods, combined with competitive prices, has made many consumers gradually "afraid" to go to traditional markets.

In addition, the infrastructure of Ha Tinh Market is deteriorating, many areas are old and lack necessary renovation. The planning of some areas is no longer suitable, many stalls lack light, narrow aisles, difficult to access, reducing the shopping experience of people.

Bong The store is maintaining two traditional and online sales channels to "retain" customers.

Under pressure from the market, many small traders have tried to change such as: adding sales channels on social networks, taking advantage of Zalo, Facebook to post product photos and close orders. Some young small traders record short videos on TikTok, livestream...

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thom - Bong The store said: “We maintain 2 sales channels: livestream and traditional market stalls with 2 parallel product lines for customers to choose from. The online sales channel also helps us attract customers to the stalls directly. However, what traders want more than anything is to strictly list prices, creating fairness and transparency. This will help customers feel more secure when shopping, and traders will also be able to do business without worrying about causing confusion or disputes about prices. This will be an important step to help both traditional and online sales channels develop in parallel in a sustainable way.”

Degraded infrastructure and lack of aesthetics are the minus points of traditional markets in regaining their appeal.

On the customer side, many people admit that their consumption habits are changing, they are "lazy" to go to the market and prioritize online shopping. Ms. Tran Thi Linh (Tran Phu ward) said: "In the past, I often went to the market to shop, but since the online sales channel became popular, I often buy online and have the goods delivered to my home. Partly because parking is quite inconvenient, partly because going to the market is psychologically afraid of being "overcharged", the habit of having to bargain makes me lazier to go to traditional markets".

In recent times, the Department of Industry and Trade has coordinated with local authorities and the Market Management Board to develop many programs to support product promotion, organize customer connection programs, and train traders on livestream sales and e-commerce. This has partly helped businesses adapt to modern buying and selling trends and expand product consumption channels. However, the shift is still slow and difficult, many traders are not really familiar with technology and are still hesitant to use digital platforms; technical infrastructure and promotion work are still limited, not creating a step forward for the largest traditional market in the province to regain its appeal and improve its competitiveness in the market.

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/vao-mua-mua-sam-cho-truyen-thong-chat-vat-niu-khach-post299076.html