Why General Trade (GT) Vietnam Feels Like a Digital Channel

In the age of digital marketing, brands often turn first to KOLs, KOCs, and paid media. Yet General Trade (GT) Vietnam — the traditional mom-and-pop store network — functions in surprisingly similar ways. For SMEs entering Vietnam, GT is not just a distribution channel but also a digital-like marketing and sales engine. It combines credibility, performance-based costs, and highly relevant audiences that rival what digital platforms can deliver.

A mom-and-pop shop owner recommending products to a customer — illustrating how General Trade (GT) Vietnam serves as a digital-like channel for SMEs.

Shop Owners as Offline KOLs in General Trade (GT) Vietnam

• Digital: KOLs/KOCs influence thousands through livestreams or short videos, but credibility varies, and purchase intent is not guaranteed.

• GT: Shop owners are trusted local figures. Their recommendation carries weight because customers know them personally, see their store daily, and rely on their long-standing reputation.

This trust turns shopkeepers into micro-influencers at the point of purchase. While their reach is smaller than a digital KOL, the impact on decision-making can be stronger, especially for SMEs without established brands.

Customer paying via bank transfer at a mom-and-pop shop — highlighting shop owners as trusted offline KOLs in General Trade (GT) Vietnam.

Shelf Displays as Impressions

• Digital: Impressions reach followers or demographic-targeted users, but many are not in buying mode.

• GT: Every product displayed on shelves is an organic impression to shoppers who came with the intent to purchase.

Instead of paying for clicks or views, SMEs gain continuous offline visibility each time customers visit their neighborhood store. In essence, a GT shelf works like a digital ad space — but with a built-in sales funnel.

Product shelves inside a traditional store — showing how shelf displays in GT act as continuous impressions to ready-to-buy consumers.

Cost Structures: Booking Fees vs Discounts Tied to Sell-Out

• Digital: Brands must pay upfront booking fees to KOLs or platforms, regardless of sales outcomes.

• GT: Marketing costs are embedded in trade discounts. SMEs only spend when sell-out occurs. Even if sales are slow, products are still displayed and introduced, providing free exposure until purchases happen.

This performance-based cost model makes GT more transparent and financially efficient, particularly for SMEs with limited budgets.

SME owner comparing booking fees and discount margins — illustrating the cost structure differences between digital and General Trade (GT) Vietnam.

Target Audiences: Broad Reach vs High Relevance

• Digital: Campaigns can reach hundreds of thousands but include a large share of non-buyers. This is valuable for branding but less efficient for direct sales.

• GT: Every shopper in a mom-and-pop store is a qualified lead — already intending to buy household goods. Exposure in GT focuses on high-relevance traffic with stronger conversion potential.

Digital campaigns reach broad audiences while GT targets ready-to-buy shoppers — contrasting broad reach with lower efficiency against high relevance and strong conversion.

Transparency and Measurable ROI

In digital, metrics like impressions and engagement may be inflated or manipulated. By contrast, GT operates with clear accountability: discounts align with actual sell-out, and ROI can be measured directly in revenue. This clarity helps SMEs avoid wasting marketing spend on vanity metrics.

Why SMEs Should Not Overlook GT

While digital campaigns dominate the conversation, General Trade (GT) Vietnam mirrors many of the same mechanics: influencers (shop owners), impressions (shelf displays), and performance-linked costs (trade discounts). But unlike digital, GT also brings community trust and tangible presence.

For SMEs entering Vietnam, tapping into GT means:

• Faster brand exposure at the neighborhood level.

• Sales costs tied to outcomes, not upfront risk.

• Stronger consumer trust built through shopkeeper recommendations.

At Go2Market (G2M) Vietnam, we help SMEs design GT strategies that combine these offline strengths with digital campaigns for an integrated, cost-efficient market entry.