“E-commerce Videofication: When Shopping Becomes Entertainment”

The Evolution of Consumer Behavior in the Video Era

The Vietnamese e-commerce market in 2024–2025 is maturing, with signs of slowing growth across various industries. In this context, platforms are forced to seek new directions to retain users. And video – especially short-form video – has become the “ace card” and is being heavily promoted on many platforms.

It’s no coincidence that platforms like TikTok Shop and Shopee are pushing video content on their home pages. They understand that modern users don’t come to the platform just to “shop”, but to explore, entertain themselves, and impulsively shop while having fun.

Mr. Nguyen Duy Hung, an expert in the field of e-commerce, analyzes:

“We notice a clear shift in consumer behavior from active search to passive discovery. Today’s consumers don’t know what they need until they see a video that’s engaging, realistic, and inspiring enough to make a purchase.”

Sellers Turn into Producers – and Succeed

Not only platforms but sellers are also quickly catching up with the “video” trend. From large brands to small retailers, everyone is investing in video production: some shoot at home, some hire KOLs, and some use AI or filters to create eye-catching effects.

Ms. Hoang My, owner of a furniture store on TikTok Shop, shared:

“I used to spend money on advertising without much success. It was only when I started shooting videos that applied the products in a real context – like the kitchen or dining table – that I saw a significant increase in views and purchases. There was a day when a table lamp sold nearly 300 units in just 2 days after the video went viral.”

Livestreaming – No Longer Exclusive to “Celebrities”

In addition to short videos, livestreaming is also becoming a key sales channel. While it used to be mainly for KOLs or large shops, many small sellers are now using this format as a regular interaction channel with their customers.

The strength of livestreaming lies in its ability to create a sense of authenticity, immediacy, and urgency – factors that make it easier for buyers to make decisions. Additionally, exclusive offers for livestream viewers also enhance the appeal of this format.

Video: The Future of E-commerce

Ms. Nho Dinh, an e-commerce data expert from the intelligent data platform Metric.vn, commented:

“E-commerce is no longer just about logistics and price optimization. It’s about who can capture attention and engage consumers emotionally. In this battle, video is the most powerful storytelling format.”

However, Ms. Nho also warned that not all sellers can effectively utilize videos. Video production requires a new marketing mindset, the ability to catch content trends, presentation skills, and patience. Some SMEs still face challenges due to limited budgets, lack of dedicated personnel, or unclear content strategies.

Understanding this issue, Metric.vn recently launched a new feature on its platform called Metric Videos Feed. This feature helps aggregate video ideas from newly posted videos and high-view videos of followed channels, categorizes video topics (tags videos for easy reference and storage), and analyzes traffic across different channels (monitors new videos, total weekly traffic, growth rates of competitors and brands, and automatically alerts when a competitor’s video goes viral). This simplifies the process of finding content ideas and creating multiple viral videos, reducing marketing costs to as low as 5%.

Mr. Bui Trung, a jewelry seller on Tiktok Shop, shared his experience after using the Video Feed feature on Metric.vn:

“This feature provides me with enough material and ideas to produce nearly 100 videos a day. Specifically, I found sellers or KOLs/KOCs with a similar target audience and identified commonly used keywords in the industry. Then, I added the channels to Metric’s Video Feed tool, filtered newly posted videos within the last 7 days (sorted by views), reviewed relevant videos, and finally, identified winning content formulas. This process has saved me a lot of time and yielded great results.”

In a digital world where every scroll can turn into a purchase decision, video is not just a “communication tool” – it’s the gateway to new revenue streams, brand recognition, and competitive advantages for sellers. The one who tells the most captivating story wins.