Việt Nam's savvy shoppers spend 44% more online than general consumers

Economy

HCM CITY — Around one in four Vietnamese online shoppers are classified as “savvy shoppers”, consumers who are more deliberate in how they assess products, optimise value, manage risk and use digital tools, and spend 44 per cent more per month than general shoppers.

This group drives an estimated annual e-commerce marketplace spending gap of US$2.2 billion, with their reported spending accounting for nearly one-third of total e-commerce spending in Việt Nam, according to a regional e-commerce report released in HCM City on October 6.

The 2026 eCommerce Savvy Shopper Report: Southeast Asia, conducted by market data firm Cube in partnership with Lazada, surveyed 6,000 consumers in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Việt Nam, the Philippines and Indonesia, delivering new insights into how regional consumers research, compare, verify information, and make online purchasing decisions.

Savvy shoppers were identified as consumers who scored above the regional median across product and seller verification, value optimisation, confidence and protection, and digital fluency.

Việt Nam also recorded the second-highest estimated annual spending gap in Southeast Asia between savvy and general shoppers, second only to the Philippines.

The report also found that 22 per cent of online shoppers in Việt Nam lacked only one of the four criteria required to qualify as savvy consumers, with the most common remaining gap being verification. Overall, 47 per cent of Vietnamese online shoppers are already savvy or on the cusp of becoming savvy, indicating substantial potential for the e-commerce market to capture greater value in the future.

Savvy shoppers actively compare offers, authenticate information, and choose reputable shopping channels to secure better overall value.

They also participate more deeply across the e-commerce ecosystem. Some 72 per cent shop online several times a week, 59 per cent allocate more than half their budget to official brand stores, and 54 per cent are willing to pay more for stronger purchase protection.

Furthermore, 86 per cent regularly look off-platform to discover products, 88 per cent actively seek information, and 91 per cent verify products or sellers before purchasing.

The report also indicates that Vietnamese shoppers increasingly seek better value without compromising trust. While 47 per cent are willing to accept longer delivery times for better deals, 38 per cent wait for mega-campaign sales, and 33 per cent spend extra time comparing promotions, only 12 per cent are willing to accept lower assurances regarding product authenticity, warranties, returns, or refunds in exchange for steeper discounts.

This demonstrates that e-commerce is no longer solely a race on price, but a competition centred on real value and peace of mind.

Simon Torring, Co-founder of Cube, said: “Savvy shopping is not simply about price sensitivity; it is about consumers becoming more deliberate, informed, and confident in the way they navigate e-commerce.”

Đỗ Cao Quốc Huy, Director of Retail & Category Management at Lazada Việt Nam, said Vietnamese consumers are becoming increasingly savvy, deliberate, and discerning in their purchases.

This behavioural shift was demonstrated during the recent 9.9 Mega Brands Sale on Lazada. Orders valued over $100 accounted for 42 per cent of the platform’s total gross merchandise value (GMV), with three out of every four orders placed on LazMall, Lazada's dedicated authentic brand channel. These factors helped nearly double Lazada’s average order value year-on-year.

Electronics and FMCG were among the top revenue-generating categories.

“Việt Nam’s e-Ccommerce market is entering a more mature phase– not only in transaction scale, but in the quality of consumption and levels of consumer trust.

“Deep discounting during mega campaigns yields only short-term sales spikes. In the long run, brands need to build sustainable trust, establish presence at the right consumer touchpoints, provide sufficient information to empower informed choices, and optimise the end-to-end journey from pre-purchase to post-purchase,” he said. — VNS