This article describes the development of vegetable marketing in Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam), where modern distribution outlets are competing fiercely with traditional traders for wholesale and retail customers. Data from interviews with supply chain stakeholders and a survey of vegetable wholesalers have been used to compare the performance of modern and traditional chains, and the findings reveal the chains as segmented in their product focus, the modern sector focusing exclusively on quality. Modern marketing channels are generally more efficient than traditional ones but still account for only around 2% of vegetable distribution. The article argues that policy-makers should not promote the 'modernisation' of food systems at the expense of traditional channels which meet important consumer needs.
PurposeTo demonstrate that collaborative commerce is not restricted to trade in branded products between large, multi‐national organisations.Design/methodology/approachInsights from extensive field research in Viet Nam.FindingsThe benefits from collaborative commerce are plain for all to see yet very little of it is being practices in retail food chains at present, due primarily to incompatible organisational cultures and a competitive market environment that drives large corporations towards transactional relationships based on price competition. The insights from the Vietnamese vegetable supply chain demonstrate the simplicity of the principles of collaborative commerce and the ease with which they are adopted when the culture is conducive to collaboration and a partnership approach to trading relationships.Research limitations/implicationsFindings are based on research conducted in and around Ho Chi Minh city and on a narrow product range, but anecdotal evidence suggests the principles apply across all commodities and extend beyond the South of the country.Practical implicationsDemonstrates the importance of organisational culture in collaborative commerce, so businesses who wish to benefit from collaboration in the supply chain need to look at ways of developing an organisational culture that is conducive to collaboration.Originality/valueThis paper sheds new light on the application of the principles of collaborative commerce in a developing country context and in a low value‐high risk food category, without major investment in IT systems.
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