There used to be a clear line between content and commerce. You made a brand film to build awareness. You ran a promotion to drive sales. Different teams, different budgets, different metrics.
In Vietnam, that line has almost disappeared.
How shopping moved into the feed
Vietnamese consumers now discover, evaluate and buy products inside video platforms. Short videos and livestreams on TikTok Shop and Shopee have become major sales channels, and were widely reported as key drivers of sales around Tết this year.
The format has a name: shoppertainment. Entertainment and shopping in the same moment, on the same screen.
For a viewer, the whole journey happens without leaving the app. They watch a creator try a product, laugh at something, read a few comments and tap to buy. The video is the shop window, the sales assistant and the checkout.
For brands, it changes the brief.
Entertainment first, product second
The content that sells best in these environments rarely looks like an advertisement.
It looks like someone the viewer already enjoys watching, doing something interesting, with the product part of the story. A cooking demonstration. A get-ready-with-me. A challenge. A genuine reaction. People stay because they are entertained. They buy because they trust what they saw.
That puts a few demands on the content:
The first seconds decide everything. Viewers swipe instantly if nothing grabs them.
Authenticity outperforms polish. A creator talking naturally often beats a perfectly lit studio product shot.
The product needs to be shown in use. Texture, scale, results and real reactions answer the questions a shopper would ask in a store.
The offer needs to be clear. Price, promotion and how to buy, without making the viewer hunt.
Working with creators
In Vietnam, much shoppertainment runs through creators and Key Opinion Leaders rather than brand channels. That brings reach, credibility and a ready-made audience. It also means handing part of your brand to someone else.
The partnerships that work best tend to follow a few principles.
Choose creators whose audience matches yours, not just whose follower numbers are biggest.
Brief the outcome, not the script. Creators know what their audience responds to. Give them the key messages and boundaries, then let them make it their own.
Provide good assets. Product information, high-quality visuals and clear offers make it easier for creators to represent you well.
Agree usage rights up front. If you want to reuse creator content in your own ads, agree that in the contract.
Measure carefully. Tracking links and codes show which partnerships actually drive sales, not just views.
Livestreams are a production, too
Many brands treat livestreams as low-effort content. The best ones are anything but.
A good livestream has a run sheet, a host who knows the product and the audience, clear segments, planned moments of interaction, and a lighting and sound setup that keeps viewers watching. It is closer to live television than to a casual video call.
That's familiar territory for anyone who has worked in broadcast. Live is unforgiving. Preparation is everything.
What premium brands can borrow
Not every brand wants to look like a flash sale. Luxury, financial and corporate brands are often wary of shoppertainment, and with reason.
But there are lessons worth borrowing without cheapening the brand:
Show the product being used by real people. Even premium buyers want to see how something works in real life.
Make content that rewards attention. Behind the scenes, the making of, an expert explaining what makes something special. Entertaining doesn't have to mean loud.
Plan for the moment of decision. Even if you don't sell directly in the feed, make it easy for interested viewers to take the next step.
Keep your craft standards. Native formats don't require lower quality. They require content built for the format from the start.
Measure what actually sells
One advantage of commerce content is that results are visible. Track which videos and livestreams lead to sales, not just views, and look at what they have in common. The host, the opening, the length, the offer. Over a few months, those patterns become a practical playbook for your brand that no generic trend report can match.
The brief has changed
If your content is going to sit one tap from the sale, it needs to be briefed that way. Who is the host? What does the viewer need to see before they buy? What is the offer? How will you measure success, in views or in sales?
Answer those questions before production, and your content can do both jobs at once.
Wondering how to make commerce content that still looks like your brand? Get in touch, and we'll show you how.
