Promoting OCOP Products on E-Commerce Platforms

Localities have constantly reformed and changed their business mindset and business strategies to perfect and improve OCOP product quality in the past time.

2022 is defined as an important year of the OCOP Program in the 2021-2025 phase. The effectiveness of the program will bring in better income in rural areas and help realize the task of new countryside development.

When the National Program for One Commune One Product (OCOP) for the 2021-2025 period was launched, localities began to step up digital transformation and promote the circular economy. Accordingly, they have actively invested in technical infrastructure, encouraged digital transformation, and brought OCOP products to e-commerce platforms, which is considered a launchpad for OCOP products in the next five years with the goal of raising people's income, avoiding unfair pricing from traders, preserving cultural values, protecting rural landscape and environment, and building a sustainable countryside.

Strong information technology development and online shopping trends have pushed localities to support people, producers and business households to promote and build product brands and marketing channels on e-commerce platforms. This is really a remarkable development of the localities, especially cooperatives. E-commerce channels can help cooperatives introduce products to the broad market and to most customers. These advantages of e-commerce will assist farmers to sell their products and make significant contributions to local overall economic development and new rural construction.

Nghe An province has 63 OCOP products of 3-star class or higher listed for sale on reputable e-commerce platforms across the country. Besides, the province has established 11 district-level booths to sell 300 products on e-commerce floors. Hence, Nghe An's OCOP products are widely promoted to reach many customers in both domestic and foreign markets. As a result, online sales have grown more rapidly than traditional methods.

Accordingly, to have all OCOP products assigned 3-star class or higher and sold on e-commerce platforms as per Plan 2345 of the Nghe An Provincial People’s Committee, Nghe An province has worked with OCOP producers to select qualified products to sell on e-commerce platforms. Postal service companies provide training courses on e-commerce knowledge for producers; support account activations on e-commerce exchanges and online payment accounts for smallholding entities seeking to bring their qualified products to e-commerce platforms.

Long An province also defines 2022 as a “Year of taking actions, creating a strategic turning point in digital transformation". The Long An Provincial People’s Committee released the Action Plan for OCOP Program in 2022, aiming to have 44 more OCOP products recognized to reach 3-star class at the provincial level or higher. The province’s 2022 OCOP Plan has also supported likely OCOP products. The province established strong connectivity in a bid to sell more OCOP products; and created Zalo groups with given criteria to help enterprises and entrepreneurs exchange experience and expand consumption markets.

In Bac Ninh province, in order to actively connect and expand the market, the provincial government also has launched many activities to support local OCOP products on e-commerce channels. Information technology application and digital transformation are widely accelerated by Bac Ninh through information and communications on the OCOP Program. The program management software has been developed with such features as OCOP product data management, record digitization, product classification, and specially connection with e-commerce platforms for selling OCOP products.

However, to date, only 25 localities are selling 100% of their OCOP products of 3-star class on e-commerce platforms like Postmart and Seashell. In order to sell more OCOP products via e-commerce platforms. To do this better in the future, authorities need to further train and guide producers and traders with the necessary skills to sell their products on e-commerce platforms; raise awareness of producers of making safe agricultural products and ensure quality committed to e-commerce platforms. Furthermore, authorities need to further connect to more e-commerce platforms to expand the market for Vietnamese agricultural products.

By Vietnam Business Forum