Residents in Central Viet Nam, including Da Nang, are facing the sweltering heat, and stores selling cooling items across the city have offered with discounts between 30-50% on their products and faciliated their customers to purchase their products under 0% interest installment payment. However, such stores have seen a small number of buyers despite the city’s high temperatures.

A supermarket applies promotional pricing for air conditioners in a bid to attract interest and increase sales in these items. Photo: WINNER

Since early 2022, sales of cooling and refrigeration products have fallen sharply compared with previous years.

Mrs Phan Thi Hoa Thuan from Mediamart Da Nang (Electronics Store) located at No. 216, Nguyen Van Linh Street, Thac Gian Ward, Thanh Khe District, said that Mediamart Da Nang’s sales dropped markedly since the beginning of 2022 while more than 100 air conditioning units and hundreds of refrigerators, fans and other cooling items were sold on average every month in previous years.

In particular, between 50 and 60 air conditioning products have been sold each month Mediamart Da Nang so far this year, and the supermarket has witnessed a 30-40% decline in the number of shoppers compared to the corresponding period in 2021.

In their efforts to cope with difficult situation, many home appliance stores and supermarkets across the city have cut their staff numbers to reduce costs.

Mr Hoang Duan Quang, the Manager of Supermarket electronics Danang Viettronimex located at No. 6 on Pasteur Street, Hai Chau District said that the store has been crowded with shoppers in previous years while customers are now sparse. Therefore, the store cut their staff and it only has one cashier, one technician cum installer, and one store manager. Futhermore, many supermarkets in Da Nang have broaden their product range in an attempt to maintain the operation of the refrigeration segment.

After prolonged closure due to COVID-19, many supermarkets have promoted their online stores while using both online and in-person marketing strategies to boost sales.

Post COVID-19 has forced both small stores and supermarkets to make changes to their sales strategies in an attempt to adapt to the current environment and fast-changing consumer behavior.  

Competition in the post-COVID-19 era creates new opportunities and challenges for home appliance stores to promote their products or services and increase their market shares. This year, refrigeration stores see few shoppers while small shops selling secondhand cooling items witness higher number of buyers than in previous years.

Mr. Cao Minh Thong, the owner of Tuan Thong Secondhand Refrigeration Store in Thanh Khe Tay Ward, Thanh Khe District said that since early May, the store has sold more than 50 units of secondhand air conditioners, refrigerators and steam cooling fans, showing a 30-40% increase on the same period last year as local customers tend to cut their spending to save money.

Reporting by CHIEN THANG – Translating by H.L