7 errors in operating Alibaba stores that cause Vietnamese businesses to lose customers

Participating in the Alibaba Vietnam e-commerce market brings huge export opportunities. However, many Vietnamese enterprises (DNVN) have failed or failed to achieve the desired results despite investing in the cost of opening an Alibaba booth in Vietnam. The main reason lies in basic errors in how Alibaba Vietnam platform operates.

Below are the 7 most serious operational errors that Alibaba Vietnam experts often encounter, causing businesses to lose lucrative orders.

1. Responding to RFQs and messages is too late

This is the number one fatal error on the B2B floor. International buyers always work in different time zones and they don't have time to wait.

• Problem: Businesses respond after 24-48 hours, or only respond during Vietnamese business hours.

• Consequence: Customers will switch to another supplier with faster response times, because they receive quotes from dozens of other suppliers at the same time.

• Solution: Build a team on duty, or use a chatbot/automatic response system to notify the expected response time, ensuring the average response time is always under 12 hours.

2. Lack of professionalism in B2B communication

Unlike retail, selling on Alibaba is B2B selling, requiring professionalism and clarity.

• Problem: Using weak English, giving generic quotes, or missing important technical information (MOQ, incoterms, packaging specifications).

• Consequences: Customers evaluate the business as lacking export capacity and seriousness.

• Solution: Prepare professional email/quotation templates, train sales staff on logistics and import-export knowledge.

3. Posting products that lack images and specifications

Alibaba booth is the online face of the factory. Poor quality content will create a bad impression.

• Problem: Using poor quality phone selfies, lacking factory videos, or product descriptions that are too sketchy.

• Consequence: Reduced reliability. Customers do not have enough information to make a trial order decision.

• Fix: Invest budget for professional photographers, fully supplement technical specifications, product certification (CE, ISO, FDA) and production process.

4. Do not use or misuse trade assurance tools

Trade assurance is a tool prioritized by Alibaba.

• Problem: Businesses are afraid to use trade assurance for fear of complexity or not understanding the process.

• Consequence: Loss of competitive advantage. Customers will favor providers with higher levels of transaction insurance.

• Solution: Always update the trade assurance limit, and actively guide customers to order through this system to increase the reputation of the store.

5. Poor keyword and product title optimization

If the product cannot be found, then all efforts to open an Alibaba store in Vietnam will be in vain.

• Problem: The product title is too short, uses non-international standard language, or does not contain the exact keywords the buyer is searching for.

• Consequence: Products are not displayed on the first pages, resulting in almost zero traffic.

• Solution: Use Alibaba's data analytics tool to research keywords. Give a long, concise title (e.g. "high quality wooden outdoor furniture with SGS certificate").

6. No keyword advertising strategy (keyword ads)

In the fiercely competitive Alibaba Vietnam e-commerce environment, just posting products is not enough.

• Problem: Relying only on natural traffic without investing budget in paid keyword advertising.

• Consequence: Your store is always buried under larger competitors, especially competitors from China who have operated Alibaba Vietnam platform for a long time.

• Fix: Spend part of your monthly budget to run ads for key keywords, help products display prominently in the top position, increase the chance of receiving RFQs.

7. Lack of updating and maintaining company records

Company profile is where customers evaluate your production capacity and stability.

• Issue: Outdated company profile, missing new certifications, or incorrect contact information.

• Consequences: Customers doubt the authenticity and current capacity of the business.

• Fix: Regularly update business licenses, add new patents and certifications. In particular, ensure the gold supplier and verified supplier badges are always maintained and displayed.

Are you worried about whether your Alibaba Vietnam store has the above 7 mistakes? Ask our experts to inspect and evaluate your booth for free today to optimize how Alibaba Vietnam operates and catch export opportunities!

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ALIBABA VIETNAM COMPANY - EXPORT E-COMMERCE FLOOR

• Head office: 19th Floor, Saigon Center Building, No. 67 Le Loi Street, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1

• Email:  [email protected]

• Phone: (+84) 987 258 510

• Branch 1: 10th Floor, Becamex Tower, 230 Binh Duong Avenue, Thu Dau Mot, Binh Duong

• Branch 2: 9th Floor, TTC Plaza, Vo Thi Sau, Thong Thong Ward, Bien Hoa City, Dong Nai

• Branch 3: 123 Cong Hoa, Ward 12, Tan Binh, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam