A price cut that looks aggressive in a modern mini-mart may be invisible in a morning market where bargaining and bundle habits still shape the ticket. Treating both channels as one “retail number” hides the real story.
Our field visits schedule separate observation windows. Morning markets reward early arrival; chain stores reward weekday mid-afternoons when restocking is visible and staff have time to answer practical questions.
When a brand grows in one channel and stalls in the other, the brief names that split. Owners can then decide whether to adjust pack sizes, visit frequency, or simply accept that each channel needs a different sales partner.
Market intelligence for local consumer brands earns its keep when it mirrors how people in Hanoi actually shop—not how a generic national model assumes they shop.