A Tool for Exporters

When my Mom and I were exporting furniture back in the late 90s one of the things that I had a difficult time in was researching the right market. The furniture we were producing served a niche market and the only way to get information was to go to the Bureau of Export Trade Promotion library. It would take me a whole day just to get the right data and the info wasn't usually updated. It was hard and when you are a start-up company it's even harder when your target market is out of your reach.

When my Mom and I gave up on our export business, my interest on it stayed on. I eventually found work that allowed me to help exporters and I've been on a look-out for things that would be interesting. I recently found out about Google's Global Market Finder. The research tool provides exporters data on possible markets that they can tap for their products. Here's an example of a search I did for rattan specifically for the Americas market:

Aside from locations it provides information on export opportunity, local monthly searches (on that country), suggested keyword bid (if you're doing a Google Adwords campaign) and competition (a gauge on whether competitors are targeting that market too).

How I wish this tool was available a decade ago. To do your own analysis, just go to http://translate.google.com/globalmarketfinder/index.html.