When looking to start exporting your business, the ideal situation is that there is demand for your product or service in its current format, meaning you only have to make minor adjustments – tailoring packaging, for example. However, more serious adaptations may be needed, either in terms of style or regulatory restrictions. It’s harder when you have to create a new market for a completely unknown product or service. This frequently leads to high marketing costs and a lower chance of success.

One way to access the potential initially is to look at your competitors. Are you surrounded by competitors that trade their products or services internationally while you’re left trading at home?

Planning to export

It’s important to go in with your eyes open when selecting overseas markets so perform a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis at the outset to look at the  various factors which will affect your decision. You may have a demand in principle for your product but that could be undermined by a number of factors. For example:

• If you have a low cost product with high transport costs, you’re going to be at a disadvantage compared to local players

• There may be high levels of import duty which again will put you at a competitive disadvantage

• There could be issues around compatibility with local markets such as size measurement; for example, the USA largely still works in imperial measurements and such issues need to be highlighted early on

There may be regulatory issues around product standards or testing requirements
There may be restrictions due to import licensing and controls on the amount of products that can be imported into a country (you can read more about this in our article about controlled or licensed products).

All of the above need to be considered as part of the overall picture.

Researching your market properly is a key step in the exporting process.

Resources you need to export

Some basic things need to be in place before you begin to export. These include:

• The physical capability and finances to scale up productivity in response to new orders

• Administrative and sales infrastructure

• A sales channel, either direct or through partners (our article on international sales channels explains the different options you have)

• The time and energy to visit new markets several times before exporting

• A website that is optimised for international trade – don’t just use Google language translation.

When considering new markets, my advice is not to spread yourself too thinly. It is often best to choose just one or two markets and concentrate on them.

Related courses:
An Introduction to Exporting		An Introduction to Importing		Post Brexit Planning Workshop

Need help with an exporting issue? IOE&IT members get FREE access to our Technical Helpline for help with any export issues you come across.