(Photo: VOV)

The 2020 Consumer Stimulus Program held by Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Industry and Trade earlier this month featured 500 booths of 300 businesses showcasing consumer products, agricultural goods, foods, and many items, normally exported.

The local businesses that participated in the event offered 400 promotions, discounts, or gift programs worth nearly 1.7 million USD. This was the largest consumer stimulus event HCMC has ever hosted. All participants were exempted from business premise costs.

The 4-day fair attracted nearly 60,000 visitors who spent more than 1.7 million USD.

Nguyen Thi Nguyen, Director of the Huong Mi Company which makes schoolbags and handbags, said she was surprised when her company sold more than 2,000 items during the fair.

She said the company plans to organize more promotional programs to stimulate consumer demand.

“2020 is a difficult year. We have changed our sales program to stimulate consumer demand, diversified our designs, and launched several promotional programs. We’ve worked with dealers, bookstores, and supermarkets in Ho Chi Minh City and other localities to implement a discount program of 10 to 15%,” said Nguyen.

Discounted fresh food are much sought after during the 2020 summer. (Photo: VOV)

The supermarket systems in Ho Chi Minh City have simultaneously launched promotional programs with discounts from 10% to more than 50%.

Do Quoc Huy, Marketing Director of Saigon Coop, said the program has increased the number of supermarket customers, boosting SaiGon Coop's revenue 35%.

“Preliminary statistics show that fresh food sales have increased nearly 40%. Thanks to promotional offers, sales of household utensils, cosmetics, and fashion have increased about 25%. In the first week of the campaign, about 300,000 tons of products were given away free,” said Huy.

According to the municipal Department of Industry and Trade, many programs have been held to connect Ho Chi Minh City and the eastern and southwestern provinces to modern distribution channels. 

Nguyen Huynh Trang, the Department’s Deputy Director, said, “Thanks to businesses’ investment in product quality and efforts to stabilize prices and the support of relevant agencies, there has been a great increase in sales. The department will advise the municipal People's Committee to organize a program in September to connect supply and demand nationwide.”