{"id":26263,"date":"2026-11-11T15:00:34","date_gmt":"2026-11-11T08:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/b-company.jp\/?p=26263"},"modified":"2026-11-12T11:45:00","modified_gmt":"2026-11-12T04:45:00","slug":"market-observation-tour-a-day-in-the-market-can-change-your-assumptions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/b-company.jp\/zh\/market-observation-tour-a-day-in-the-market-can-change-your-assumptions\/","title":{"rendered":"\u5e02\u573a\u89c2\u5bdf\u4e4b\u65c5\uff1a\u5728\u5e02\u573a\u4e2d\u5ea6\u8fc7\u4e00\u5929\uff0c\u53ef\u80fd\u4f1a\u6539\u53d8\u60a8\u7684\u5047\u8bbe"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"B&Company-Vietnam<\/a><\/p>\n

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B&Company is the first Japanese company specializing in market research and investment consulting in Vietnam since 2008.<\/em><\/p>\n

This article was originally written in English. To make our insights accessible to a wider audience, translated versions are provided using AI translation technology. For the latest updates or more detailed information, please also refer to the original English version.<\/em><\/p>\n

Although we strive to ensure the accuracy of the original information, please check separately for each information. Interpretations and future prospects are the personal opinions of each researcher. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t

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Vietnam’s diverse retail landscape, regional consumer preferences, and evolving purchasing behavior create both opportunities and challenges for foreign businesses. Understanding these market characteristics requires more than reviewing statistics and industry reports. Market Observation Tours offer companies an opportunity to examine local business practices, customer behavior, distribution channels, and competitive conditions firsthand. This article explores Vietnam’s market characteristics, explains how structured market visits can support business decisions, and introduces B&Company’s experience in helping foreign companies gain practical market insights.<\/p>\n

Market background: Vietnam’s diverse consumer and retail landscape<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Physical retail remains an important part of the purchasing journey, even as online shopping expands. According to a survey of 1,001 Vietnamese adults conducted by Havas Commerce in 2025, 47% of surveyed consumers reported that they always check grocery products in-store before purchasing, compared with 38% for furniture and home decor and 34% for electronics and technology products. These findings highlight the continued importance of physical product presentation across different categories. Through Market Observation Tours, foreign companies can examine how products are displayed, how competing brands are positioned, and how customers interact with products across different retail formats[1]<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Consumer<\/p>\n

Source: Havas Commerce<\/a><\/p>\n

Beyond physical interaction, Vietnamese consumers also consider multiple factors when evaluating product prices. The same Havas survey found that consumers assess price reasonableness by referring to average prices of similar products (35%), comparing prices across physical and online stores (34%), evaluating perceived quality, including materials and packaging (30%), and considering product origin (23%)[2]<\/a>. These findings indicate that purchasing decisions are influenced by more than listed prices, with product presentation, quality, and competitive positioning also playing important roles.<\/p>\n

\"How<\/p>\n

Source: Havas Vietnam<\/a><\/p>\n

Regional differences add another layer of complexity. NielsenIQ’s 2025 analysis identifies distinct consumer preferences and distribution patterns across Northern, Central, and Southern Vietnam. Its FMCG market analysis suggests that consumer expectations regarding brands, pricing, product formats, and convenience vary by region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Northern Vietnam<\/strong><\/td>\nCentral Vietnam<\/strong><\/td>\nSouthern Vietnam<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Brand loyalty, family-oriented purchasing, larger packs and premium-looking products<\/td>\nHigher price sensitivity and stronger preference for familiar local brands<\/td>\nConvenience-oriented purchasing and greater openness to new experiences<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Source: NielsenIQ<\/a><\/p>\n

Together, these findings illustrate the diversity of Vietnam’s consumer market, where purchasing behavior and product preferences vary across categories and regions. Such differences highlight the importance of understanding local market conditions beyond national statistics.<\/p>\n

A market observation tour is a structured field visit designed to help companies gain firsthand understanding of a target market. Unlike a general business trip or sightseeing tour, it focuses on specific research questions, such as how competing products are positioned, which distribution channels are most relevant, and how local business practices differ from initial expectations. Depending on the company’s objectives, visits may include retail outlets, commercial areas, industrial zones, or potential business partners.<\/p>\n

When should companies conduct a market observation tour?<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Market observation tours can be useful at different stages of business development, with different purposes:<\/p>\n

– Before entering the market: Understand local customer needs, competitors, and sales channels to identify business opportunities.<\/p>\n

– When preparing to enter the market: Evaluate product positioning, prices, potential business locations, and sales channels before launching products or starting operations.<\/p>\n

– After entering the market: Monitor market changes, explore new areas, and identify ways to improve or expand existing businesses.<\/p>\n

How should a market observation tour be conducted?<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Effective market observation requires careful planning and a systematic approach to ensure that findings are relevant and minimize potential bias. The main steps include:<\/p>\n

– Preliminary research and site selection: Review the overall market landscape to identify relevant customer segments, distribution channels, competitors, and geographic areas. Determine which types of locations to visit and how many sites to cover within each category. A balanced selection of locations helps avoid drawing conclusions from only a few convenient or well-known sites.<\/p>\n

– Developing hypotheses for each visit: Establish specific research questions or hypotheses for each location. For example, a Japanese food manufacturer may visit a premium supermarket to examine imported product positioning and a traditional grocery store to understand local assortment and pricing practices. Involving local researchers during planning can help identify relevant market characteristics and develop more realistic hypotheses.<\/p>\n

– Logistics and visit arrangements: Prepare itineraries, transportation, interpretation, and appointments where necessary. For company or factory visits, advance coordination and permission may be required to access facilities or collect information.<\/p>\n

– On-site observation and documentation: Examine relevant market conditions using standardized checklists, field notes, and photographs where permitted. In retail, this may include product assortment, packaging, prices, promotions, shelf placement, and customer interactions. For industrial businesses, visits may focus on infrastructure, accessibility, operating environments, and potential business partners.<\/p>\n

– Analysis and follow-up: Compare observations across locations to identify common patterns, differences, and findings that challenge initial assumptions. Organize the results into potential business implications and questions requiring further investigation.<\/p>\n

The value of a market observation tour lies in turning firsthand observations into practical business insights. Findings may suggest opportunities for product adaptation, channel selection, or location planning. However, a limited number of visits cannot fully represent the wider market. Companies should therefore use these observations as an initial basis for decision-making and validate important findings through customer interviews, industry research, or pilot activities when necessary.<\/p>\n

How B&Company can support your market observation tour<\/strong><\/h2>\n

B&Company has supported Japanese and international businesses in Vietnam since 2008, providing market research, business consulting, and market-entry support across various industries. With offices in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the company combines local research capabilities and business networks to support field activities across different regions and sectors, including retail, food and beverage, manufacturing, and industrial services.<\/p>\n

Companies can visit stores and observe the market independently, much like ordinary consumers. However, individual observations may not provide a complete or balanced understanding of market conditions. A professionally organized tour helps address this limitation through careful location selection, clear research objectives, and consistent evaluation criteria. With support from local researchers, companies can compare findings across different locations, reduce potential bias, and gain insights relevant to their business strategies.<\/p>\n

B&Company’s field experience demonstrates how on-site exploration can provide practical insights into local market conditions. In April 2026, a B&Company researcher shared observations of a potential supermarket location in central Hanoi. Although the area had substantial pedestrian traffic, narrow roads, limited parking, nearby traditional markets, and competing stores suggested that the location might be more suitable for quick purchases than large shopping trips. This example highlights the importance of considering accessibility and surrounding commercial conditions when evaluating retail locations[3]<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In manufacturing, B&Company has also supported Japanese businesses through factory visits and supplier evaluations. One project involved arranging visits to approximately 20 candidate manufacturers across several northern provinces within one week, including transportation, technical interpretation, and follow-up communication. In 2026, the company organized factory visits in southern Vietnam for an existing Japanese client in the metal processing industry, helping expand its potential supplier network beyond northern Vietnam[4]<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Market observation tour support process<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Before the tour<\/strong><\/td>\nDuring the tour<\/strong><\/td>\nAfter the tour<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Preliminary research, research objectives, location selection, itinerary and checklist<\/td>\nVisit coordination, local interpretation, field observation and information collection<\/td>\nFindings summary, additional research, partner search and business matching<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Source: B&Company<\/p>\n

Beyond organizing field visits, B&Company helps businesses interpret observations from a market research and strategic perspective. When further validation is needed, the findings can be combined with industry analysis, customer and expert interviews, and partner search. This approach helps foreign companies move beyond initial impressions and make more informed decisions about entering or expanding in Vietnam[5]<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Read more<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Making better market entry decisions in Vietnam: When should companies talk directly to consumers?<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n