Minh Hien, a frequent online shopper in Hanoi’s Trung Hoa Ward, noticed that a box of Korean ginseng from the same store had become more expensive. She paid VND 239,400 after a discount code in January 2025, VND 272,000 in July and VND 305,000 in early October, VND 65,600, or 27.4%, above the first price.
The seller said higher operating costs on e-commerce platforms had forced the store to adjust prices. Although platforms offer promotions, discount codes and shipping incentives, many consumers say online shopping is becoming more expensive.
Sales rise as more than 56,000 stores stop recording orders
Metric’s third-quarter report said sales on Shopee, TikTok Shop, Lazada and Tiki reached about VND 150.38 trillion, up 45% year on year and 5% from the previous quarter.
Sales in the first nine months reached VND 441.97 trillion, up 44.47% from the same period in 2025. More than 3.275 billion products were sold, a 12.46% increase.
Stores recording sales fell to about 470,300 in the third quarter from 526,509 in the second quarter. The decline was 56,209 stores, or about 10.68%. Compared with a year earlier, the number fell 2.47%.
Rising sales alongside fewer stores with orders shows that e-commerce growth is uneven. Not every seller is maintaining a stable order flow.
Shopee and TikTok Shop intensify their rivalry
During the first nine months, sales grew faster than product volume, 44.47% versus 12.46%. The average product value in the third quarter was about VND 138,100, nearly 32% higher than a year earlier. The share of products above VND 1 million rose from 14.5% to 19%, while the share below VND 200,000 fell from 50.1% to 42.2%.
TikTok Shop’s sales rose about 76% year on year, compared with about 26% for Shopee. The sales-share gap narrowed from about 14.3 percentage points to 1.7 points.
TikTok Shop held 68.1% of men’s fashion and 64.5% of women’s fashion. Shopee led phones and tablets at 72.1%, home appliances at 61.8%, and home and lifestyle products at 53.1%.
Sellers must invest in content, advertising, product quality and delivery as well as pricing. Competition may bring consumers more choice and promotions, but the final price depends on the product, seller policy and promotion terms.
Metric forecasts fourth-quarter sales of up to VND 165.5 trillion, up 10.05% from the third quarter. Sales volume could reach about 1,102.3 million products, up 1.22%, driven by the 11/11 and 12/12 campaigns and year-end demand.
Consumers should compare final prices, check discount-code conditions and include shipping fees before ordering.
Sources: Dân Trí
