The “Hanoi Midnight Sale” has created a shopping fever in the capital city, helping stimulate consumer demand at the end of the year and laying the foundation for the development of the night-time economy and e-commerce in the coming time. Acting Director of the Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade Tran Thi Phuong Lan shared with The Hanoi Times her view on the benefits that the program brings to businesses and consumers.

Following the success of the first “Hanoi Midnight Sale” in 2020, how will the event in 2021 be held?

“Hanoi Midnight Sale 2021” will take place from 5:00 pm on November 26 to 2:00 pm on November 27 and draw the participation of around 200 businesses, trade centers, supermarkets, production and business establishments of all economic sectors.

Acting Director of the Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade Tran Thi Phuong Lan. Photo: The Hanoi Times

Its launching ceremony will also open the event "From online to street vending - Connecting supply and demand" at 8:00 pm on November 26 at Big C Thang Long supermarket. The launching ceremony will be also held at some shopping malls of retail groups such as Central Retail, BRG, AEON, among others.

Specifically, the discount program with the slogan "Shopping party - the later you shop, the bigger the discount" will be held at four different times and the promotional rate will increase as the clock ticks to midnight. Accordingly, shopping at 17:00 - 19:00, clients will enjoy a minimum discount of 30%, at 19:00 - 22:00, the minimum discount would be 50%, at 22:00 - 24:00 the minimum promotion rate would be 60% and at 0:00 am - 2:00 am the discount would be 60 - 100%.

In addition, businesses participating in the event will organize a series of activities such as promotional booths, game shows, auctions, lucky draws, among others. Besides, consumers will be able to participate in the vibrant shopping atmosphere of “Black Friday” program.

In the fight against the Covid-19, the Hanoi People's Committee has asked restaurants, eateries and supermarkets to close before 9:00 pm, so what plan will the Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade have to create favorable conditions for people to buy goods with possibly 100% discount (at midnight) but still comply with the pandemic prevention measures?

Consumers buy promotional products at Vinmart Pham Ngoc Thach supermarket during the “Hanoi Midnight Sale 2020”. Photo: The Hanoi Times

The Covid-19 pandemic is still serious, so the number of customers buying online at e-commerce platforms has increased sharply. Thus, to ensure the pandemic prevention and for consumers to be able to buy discounted goods, the Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade has requested supermarkets and businesses participating in the program to conduct offline sales until 22:00 on November 26.

Particularly, from 22:00 on November 26 to 2:00 on November 27, discounts up to 100% will be offered on e-commerce floors, e-commerce websites of businesses and supermarkets. In this way, we contribute not only to stimulating consumers’ demand, but also attracting them to gradually get used to e-commerce.

Consumers said that some stores had applied "fake" promotions by raising prices so that they can lower them later on, what would you do to address this?

The Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade has requested the Hanoi Market Surveillance units to strengthen inspection and supervision of the quality of goods at stores offering discounts in the program “Hanoi Midnight Sale” event.

Moreover, we required them to sign commitments with the organizer that goods and services sold in the guarantee the quality and standards.

The prices must be clearly listed, and must be cheaper than the original ones.  

Consumers buy promotional products at Big C Thang Long during the “Hanoi Midnight Sale 2020”. Photo: The Hanoi Times

Does the Industry and Trade Department intend to continue implementing other promotion programs in the following years and how about the event’s development?

We hope that this event, combined with Black Friday and other events in the Hanoi Promotion Month, will be a driver for Hanoi’s night-time economy, which will change the shopping habits of consumers. They not only shop during the day, but also at night, and use associated services (dining, entertainment, travel, among others). Thereby, businesses will enhance production, sales and consumption of goods, bringing the total retail sales and service revenue in Hanoi to a strong growth in the time ahead.

Therefore, the Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade is coordinating with the Hanoi Institute of Socio-Economics and relevant agencies to work on plan of developing Hanoi’s night-time economy in the near future. It is necessary to make the “Hanoi Midnight Sale” an annual program in the Hanoi Promotion Month.

The Promotion Month is not only a strategy for boosting consumer demand, but also provides opportunities for businesses to promote Vietnamese brands by allowing consumers to access goods at affordable prices with guaranteed quality. The month has assisted numerous enterprises in resuming operations, therefore contributing to the capital city's economic recovery.

Thank you for spending your time with us.