Nam Dinh Dragon Market traders learn how to sell online

Dragon Market (Nam Dinh City) was once known as the most famous shopping paradise in Nam Dinh. However, according to the reporter of Lao Dong Newspaper in April, there were few buyers at this market.

Ms. Oanh - a clothing retailer at Dragon Market for nearly 40 years - shared: "In the "golden age" of traditional markets, this market was packed with stalls selling all kinds of goods. Whole buyers line up to choose items. For example, my family has stalls at the market and has to take turns looking after them because there are always customers".

According to Ms. Oanh and many other traders, compared to before, the amount of goods sold has decreased a lot, down about 60%. Many stall owners stay just because they keep their regular customers and are old, making it difficult to find other jobs.

Buying a fabric stall at Dragon Market from a relative for business, Ms. Nguyen Thi Loan (Nam Dinh City) said: "The time I bought it back about 15 years ago was when Dragon Market was in full development. Now, there are not many customers buying retail fabric to make clothes, so they are increasingly unsold. In addition, the items we sell at the market such as fabric, clothes, toys, steel products, shoes, etc. are being sold online a lot, so not many people go to traditional markets anymore. Now I sell here to keep and sell to tailors who have collected goods many years ago".

In the above situation, Ms. Loan also gradually learned from online sales, posting her fabric products for online sales. However, due to lack of experience and creativity, Ms. Loan's online trading is not easy.

"Because we have not been trained in experience, we should do it first, and then see that online business is not only advertised as being sold, but the owner must also invest, focusing on finding good ways to attract customers, creating trust for customers to shop. This is something that a trader who is attached to traditional selling methods like me is lacking," Ms. Loan confided.

Having a house near Dragon Market, Ms. Hoang Thi Linh said that for about 5 years now, Ms. Linh has not been to the market to buy things. "Most of the items sold at Dragon Market can be bought online and at shops along the road. Partly because of convenience, I no longer keep the habit of going to the market to buy things like before," said Ms. Linh.

A representative of the Dragon Market Management Board said that the best-selling item at Dragon Market was previously fabric, but for many years now, the sales volume has been poorer. The market is mainly for wholesale, but when e-commerce develops and means of transporting goods to the regions of the facility become more convenient, there are few customers coming to the market to choose to buy directly.

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