E-commerce companies offer coronavirus discounts

By Dat Nguyen April 15, 2020 | 10:00 pm PT

A person makes purchases using a credit card. Photo by Shutterstock/Thicha Satapitanon.

E-commerce players are offering a variety of delivery discounts to boost sales amid coronavirus travel restrictions.

Lazada has launched a two-hour delivery service for fresh products like meat, milk and vegetables in Ho Chi Minh City. It plans to expand this to Hanoi and other places soon.

The company said it ensures that sellers of fresh food products have the requisite certifications for food quality and nutrition content, and works with them to properly pack and preserve the goods.

Tiki this month offers free delivery within two hours of essential products like consumer goods and food for orders of VND250,000 ($10.7) or more in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

The company plans set to spend VND39 billion ($1.67 million) on the campaign which it expects will bring around one million orders.

Buyers will get a maximum of three free-delivery orders a week.

A company spokesperson said the campaign was initiated after HCMC authorities urged businesses to lower delivery fees to limit travel by the public.

Sendo offers a VND50,000 ($2.1) discount on essential products between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. every day. At other times there is a discount of VND30,000 ($1.27) on delivery charges on orders of at least VND99,000 ($4.2).

Singapore-based Shopee offers a VND30,000 delivery discount for orders over VND50,000.

Vietnam’s e-commerce market is projected to grow to VND399.5 trillion ($17.3 billion) in 2023 from VND218.3 trillion ($9.4 billion) last year, according to U.K. consulting firm GlobalData.