Handicraft villages should take the advantages of e-commerce.
The development of science and technology in the field of electronics has been changing customers’ behaviors, and boosted e-commerce further. E-commerce has been developed rapidly since 2015.
According to the statistics, in 2016, 1.6 billion people worldwide shop online. Online retail sales is expected to raise from US$1,900 billion in 2016 to US$4,060 billion in 2020, according to the experts.
In 2020, 50 billion devices worldwide will be connected; economic market value of the Internet will reach about US$11 trillion, according to international scientists.
With its great influence, e-commerce will have massive effect on trade in all sectors, including handicraft villages. It is not only opportunity but also challenge for the producers, traders and enterprises of Ha Noi occupational villages. If they can optimize modern technology and use the e-commerce platforms in trading, their products will be introduced more to customers, and they will successfully boost their business. Otherwise, they might gradually lose their markets.
In the context of Fourth Industrial Revolution, cross-border trading will be the best solution, says Vu Tuan Anh, lecturer and consultant for IPP program of Finland and Ministry of Science and Technology. Therefore, producer are highly recommended to cooperate with traders to launch e-commerce programs and plans.
Ha Noi currently has 1,350 craft villages, of which 198 traditional villages. Their products have been exported and appreciated. However, they are still facing difficulties in consumption. According to result of survey, enterprises and businesspeople in the villages are not fully aware of e-commerce.
They still rely mainly on experience, old production and trading behaviors, and hesitate to innovate or apply e-commerce. The villages have limited capacity and run their business in small scale; as a result, it is difficult for them to invest in new infrastructure and technology for e-commerce. Limited support of the State and shortcomings in craft village e-commerce also affect the villages.
Pursuant to Director of the Ha Noi Department of Industry and Trade Le Hong Thang, international partners mostly find handicraft village enterprises through their own information source; that means the handicraft village enterprises did not proactively take action to improve consumption of products.
Considering the increasing market integration nowadays, he urges the enterprises to proactively apply information technology to promote their goods, and use modern technology in trading to expand the market, seek new customers, thus enhancing development of craft villages.
Doctor, Professor Hoang Duc Than from National Economics University suggests that authorities and associations shall implement popularization of e-commerce to improve awareness and knowledge of people and enterprises in the villages. For their part, the people and enterprises shall apply e-commerce in different stages according to actual conditions of their villages, for example information, website, local network, automation of transactions, and high-level integrated e-commerce. Moreover, he proposes more support of the State for e-commerce, development of the modern, comprehensive e-commerce, and a comprehensive institutions to promote e-commerce in Viet Nam.
