Covid-19 boosts up online sales in Hanoi retail systems

Online sales revenue in Hanoi’s retail chains during the Tet holiday increased by 20-25% compared to the same period of last year, despite the Covid-19 outbreak since late January, according to the Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade.

A few residents are shopping at supermarket. Photo: Pham Hung

As of February 17 (the 6th day of the first lunar month), the sales revenue from retail systems in the city increased by 7-10% compared to the 2020 Lunar New Year. Online sales revenue accounted for 5-7% of the total.

All products of Co.opmart Ha Dong supermarket are posted on its social network's pages and website. The number of online customers increased in the Tet holiday by 20-25% inter-annually, according to Nguyen Thi Kim Dung, Director of the supermarket. Processed food such as braised fish and meat, roasted shrimp are the best sellers. 

Big C supermarket chains have boosted online shopping services and free delivery with bills from VND200,000 (US$8.7) and above. “The number of orders by phones surged more than 200% during seven days of Tet against the same period of last year,” Nguyen Thi Phuong, Deputy General Director of Central Retail said.

Nguyen Ngoc Dung, national operations director of Vinmart chains, said that from February 15 to 18 (the 4th day to the 8th day of the first lunar month), the number of online shoppers on VinID app tripled compared to normally.

In the second day the decision of the People's Committee of Hanoi on the closure of street eateries and sidewalk cafes has taken effect to prevent the risk of spreading Covid-19 in the community, business owners in some streets of Tran Nguyen Han, Nguyen Huu Huan, Trang Quang Khai, and Nguyen Thi Dinh have seen their takeout orders surge.

Nguyen Van Hung, an owner of Romantic cafe on Dang Van Ngu street, Dong Da district, Hanoi, said: "In the past two days, I received between 70 and 80 online orders of coffee and fruit juice to go every day.”