E-commerce and the story of trust

Although the legal framework is relatively complete, the implementation and supervision of e-commerce in practice still has many shortcomings.

National E-commerce Week and Vietnam Online Shopping Day – Online Friday 2024 takes place from November 25 to December 1 with many attractive promotions.

E-commerce has become an important driving force of the digital economy , with an explosion in transaction volume and number of participants. However, along with that rapid development, the issue of quality of goods and services on online trading floors has become a major concern for both consumers and management agencies.

This not only affects consumer confidence but also undermines the reputation of the domestic e-commerce market.

The reality of the quality of goods on e-commerce platforms is raising many big questions. A recent report by the National Competition Commission clearly stated that the number of complaints related to the e-commerce sector accounts for 5.5% of the total number of complaints and recommendations from consumers, ranking third among the most complained business sectors. This number is not small, especially when looking at the rate of complaints about cases of goods that do not meet the quality standards, are not in the correct quantity as committed, or unprofessional shipping and delivery services. Notably, in the first 9 months of 2024, the rate of cases related to e-commerce has increased significantly, with 9.18% reflecting on goods that do not meet the quality standards or are different from the description.

Violations are not limited to isolated complaints but also appear in the form of large-scale incidents. Statistics from the General Department of Market Management show that in the past 9 months, this agency has detected and handled 2,014 violations in the field of e-commerce, with administrative fines of up to 35.4 billion VND. A typical case is the case at Eco Green apartment building, where a hot TikToker with millions of followers was discovered trading more than 10,000 bottles of perfume of unknown origin. Such counterfeit or substandard goods not only deceive consumers but also seriously damage the sustainable development of the market.

The causes of this situation are diverse, but can be summarized in two main issues: insufficient responsibility from e-commerce platforms and ineffectiveness in law enforcement. E-commerce platforms currently operate mainly as intermediary platforms, but have not yet effectively controlled the quality of goods for sale. Checking documents proving the origin and source of products is often a formality, without practical measures such as checking production facilities or verifying product information. This leads to the situation where counterfeit, fake, and poor quality goods easily infiltrate the system and reach consumers. In addition, the coordination between state management agencies in monitoring and handling violations is still inadequate, creating loopholes for bad actors to circumvent the law.

Another important factor lies in the lack of knowledge and skills of consumers. Many shoppers on online platforms are still attracted by fancy advertisements, without carefully checking information about products and sellers. This makes them easy victims of fraud. Meanwhile, although the authorities have made efforts to handle violations, with the huge volume of transactions on e-commerce platforms, controlling each case is not easy.

Solving this problem requires synchronization from many sides. First, e-commerce platforms need to improve their responsibility in controlling the quality of goods. We cannot continue to rely only on documents without actual inspection. Trading platforms need to apply stricter measures, from requiring sellers to provide full and transparent information, to periodically checking the products being traded. Strictly handling violations, including locking accounts, banning sales or publicizing information about violations, will be an effective deterrent.

The legal framework also needs to be improved to keep up with the rapid development of e-commerce. Regulations related to the responsibilities of trading floors, sellers and consumers need to be more specific, avoiding overlapping or lack of feasibility in implementation. Especially, in the context of increasing cross-border e-commerce, there needs to be specific regulations to control imported goods, avoiding the exploitation of loopholes to smuggle fake and poor quality goods into the market.

Another equally important solution is to raise consumer awareness. Consumer protection organizations and authorities need to step up education and propaganda activities so that buyers can better understand their rights, as well as how to identify substandard products. At the same time, it is necessary to build effective channels for receiving feedback and resolving complaints, helping consumers to quickly protect their rights when facing problems.

Finally, close coordination between state management agencies, from the Ministry of Industry and Trade , the General Department of Market Management to localities, is a key factor to ensure effective monitoring. A mechanism for data sharing and regular coordination of inspections can help detect violations early, thereby providing timely handling measures. At the same time, it is necessary to create conditions for businesses to participate in the process of policy development and implementation, to ensure practicality and feasibility in management.

Controlling the quality of goods on e-commerce platforms is not just the responsibility of one party but requires the cooperation of all parties involved. Only with synchronous and drastic coordination can the e-commerce market develop sustainably, bring real benefits to consumers and contribute to promoting Vietnam's digital economy.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/thuong-mai-dien-tu-va-cau-chuyen-niem-tin-294859.html