Traditional markets have long been an integral part of the Vietnamese culture, dating back to medieval times when market gatherings were only held periodically. Back then, these meetings were often crowded with people from all walks of life who wished to trade their crafts for what they need, be it food, clothing items, tools, vehicles, or jewelry.
As history went on, markets were held more frequently while at the same time, specialized to cater to the local’s needs. Wet markets sprung up whenever convenient for the community that used them, making daily grocery shopping more casual. Then there were markets that only supply a certain line of products, which could be found in areas where inhabitants consumed such materials. A clay market, for example, should be within reach of a pottery village. In extreme cases, such as the floating market, climate and geographic conditions drive its development. With floods being a common phenomenon, boats have been used as ‘stalls’ for better mobility and efficiency. Skillful helmsmen elegantly drive their boats full of goods, their wives crying the name of the products and take charge of the talking. All of this helped create the iconic Vietnamese south-western scenery.
Wet markets are often associated with crowds, noises and the likes. In big cities, they occupy several roads, on which vendors set up their make-shift stall, usually with one big umbrella as shelter. People can be as loud as they want trying to attract customers. Bargaining and over-charging are the norms. In an effort of freshen vegetables, or to wash their meat, sellers dump water directly on to the ground. Under the heat, the water evaporates, carrying along all odors of the things from which it comes. For younger generations, going to the market is a chore rather than a stroll.
Then came the introduction of supermarket – a place where you can look at all the goods, picking and putting back things at your pleasure, without the hassle of bargaining or the glances thrown at you by vendors. Shelves are kept clean, fresh foods are chilled, and there are also things that hardly ever make it to the wet market, such as frozen ingredients. Here people cannot be too loud, accompanied by the comfortable scent of the air-freshener, making shopping all the more pleasant.
For a long time, supermarkets were the only choice where people can find such comfort. As human society never ceases to strive for convenience, there was a point that it was no longer true. Thanks to the appearance of convenient stores, the shopping experience inside bigger supermarkets can be replicated, albeit at a smaller size. Small stores can be set up almost anywhere, as long as there is a place up for rent. Unlike stores, supermarkets are attached to buildings, or they have to be built on a large piece of land, enough for hundreds of customers, meaning that they are inferior in terms of location. The market is saturated further since the introduction of online shopping. Now people do not have to leave the comfort of their home in order to shop. All of these place a stress on large supermarket chains to step up their game to survive the competitiveness.
This is where CO.OP – a long-time supermarket chain in business – play their game correctly. Along with membership cards which accumulate points on every purchase, as well as discounts and promotions, they have established their own product brands: CO.OP Happy, CO.OP Select, and CO.OP Finest. If you happen to visit the nearest CO.OP Mart, you should see various types of products from detergent, bleach, shampoo, toothpaste and napkin, to tea, coffee, rice and cup noodles, all labelled under ‘CO.OP’.
There are various reasons why such branding is a real game changer. Obviously, CO.OP itself does not make these products, but instead they outsource the production to third-party manufacturers hand-selected by CO.OP. Once products are made, CO.OP buy them at wholesale price and take care of the labelling and marketing. This ensures that goods put out on shelf under its name are on par with other competitors, while suppliers have a ‘customer’ who buys thousands of their products on a regular basis. Secondly, other competitors need to pay a fee to have their products displayed in CO.OP Mart, along with their usual marketing campaigns, render the price higher than those labelled ‘CO.OP’. Therefore, CO.OP Mart essentially provide products with the same quality at a slightly lower price point. Last but not least, CO.OP also take their time to categorize their goods into three groups, catering to different targets. Things under ‘CO.OP Happy’ are reasonably priced with acceptable quality, suitable with casual workers or people with low income. ‘CO.OP Select’ are of better quality, for people with average earning and ‘CO.OP Finest’ are meant for the wealthy. All in all, there are something for anyone, regardless of their background, painting the image of CO.OP Mart the same as their slogan: “The friend of all households”. There are no certainty what the future holds. For the time, however, this is a step in the right direction for CO.OP Mart, as customers’ feedback is satisfactory.
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