learnthe4ps.com - For students of marketing.

Internet entrepreneurs in Vietnam are figuring out how to overcome challenges posed by the country’s infrastructure. Among Vietnam’s 88 million people, there is growing interest in the convenience of online shopping. There are now more than two dozen Vietnamese sites copying Groupon’s “deal-of-the-day” concept. These companies adapted the strategy used in more developed countries. So for example, few Vietnamese consumers have credit cards or PayPal style accounts. To over come this, at least one of the Groupon copycats NhomMua, relies on a team of more than 100 moped-driving couriers that deliver vouchers directly to consumers and then collect cash. Read more in this Bloomberg Businessweek article, “Vietnam’s Dot-Com Boom” (January 19, 2012).

Have you ever traveled abroad?  In a developing country?  How could some online products in the U.S. be adapted for foreign markets?  Think about some of your favorite websites — which ones transfer easily to a less-developed country?  Which require some adaptation?