Following the Journey of Products Through Import Export Data

A product may start in one country, go through a number of trading channels and end up with a buyer many thousands of miles away. On the surface that's a fairly straightforward transaction. What's not so obvious is the trail of information that goes with it which can tell you where it's from, who's buying it, how much it's moving and which markets are linked to it. That's where Import Export Data comes in to be of use in terms of understanding the movement of products across international markets.

For businesses in the international trade space looking at the final sale alone is generally not sufficient. The movement of a product can tell a far bigger story. Import Export Data collates a whole host of detail such as product descriptions, HS codes, quantities shipped, values, countries, ports, importers and exporters. When you look at all of that data together you get a far better picture of how products actually move through the global trading system.

From a Product to a Trade Journey

Imagine a company that makes a certain type of component. It may well know its own capacity and know its own customers, but it may not know where the equivalent product is being bought on a regular basis all over the world.

This is where the trade records can alter the way the company sees its market.

By looking at the Import Export Data you can track the shipments that are associated with your product category. You can see which countries are importing the similar goods, where those goods are sourced from and which companies keep appearing in the data. Rather than looking at international trade as a series of isolated transactions you can begin to see it as a journey.

The journey could start with a manufacturer in one country, go through a port and end with an importer in another market. Multiple shipments can also indicate that it's not a one-off transaction but rather part of an ongoing trading relationship.

Why the Product Details Matter

One of the fascinating things about Import Export Data is the amount of detail that can be attached to a single shipment. A product isn't just going to be described by its common name. It can also have an HS code, a product description, a quantity, a value, a country of origin, a country of destination and a shipment date.

This makes product classification of the utmost importance.

Businesses looking at a particular product can use country-wise search to look at trade activity in different markets and see how the same or similar product is appearing in different countries.

A company selling packaging for instance might find that their product is doing very well in one market and quite a bit less so in another. That disparity would be likely to prompt the company to look into the reasons for the difference rather than simply assume that all international markets operate in the same manner.

Following Products Across Countries

International trade doesn't occur in a vacuum. The countries are linked via manufacturers, distributors, importers, exporters, logistics providers, ports and buyers.

Import/Export data can help in making these connections easier to study.

A business may start off with one product and then expand its research to look at the countries that are buying that product. From there it can go on to look at the companies that are involved in those transactions and the ports through which the shipments are moving. That gives you a much wider picture of the product.

Exim Trade Data provides access to trade data which can be filtered in a number of ways to allow you to go from a broad market view to more focused product or shipment level research.

This kind of research is particularly useful when you're entering a market that you're not at all familiar with. Rather than start off with all sorts of assumptions about where your product might be sold, you can simply look at what's already happening in the market and then work out which of those areas are worth looking at in more detail.

Moving From Records to Research

Raw trade data is only of any use if you can explore it in a meaningful way and that's why the ability to search the data according to different criteria is so important.

A researcher might start with a product name. Another individual might start with an HS code. Someone else might already know the country in question and wish to look at its import activity.

The flexibility of the search process allows you to approach the same trade question from a number of different angles. Exim Trade Data for instance has the ability to search by country, product, HS code, importer, exporter and shipment.

The platform also offers a suite of services around import-export research, market analysis, data access, dashboards and all the associated trade intelligence.

Searching With the Right Combination of Filters

The real value of trade research is usually in the combination of different bits of information rather than in looking at them in isolation.

A search for just a product will yield a wide range of records. Adding an HS code will narrow the scope of the search. Adding a country will add a geographic dimension. Adding import or export activity will further define the parameters of the search.

This searchability by HS Code, country, product, import export can make the research process far more focused and will enable the user to move from a huge number of records to those which are more relevant to their particular query.

For instance an exporter looking to get into a new market might take a product by HS code, look at the countries where there are imports of that product and then look at the companies that are involved in those shipments. The point isn't just to get more records. The point is to understand the commercial movement.

What Exim Trade Data Adds to the Picture

Exim Trade Data can be used as a research tool for businesses who wish to look at international trade via actual shipment data. The data available on the platform includes HS codes, product descriptions, names of importers and exporters, values of the shipment, quantities, countries and ports.

The benefit of combining all of these elements is that you can then analyse the product from a number of different angles. The company can look at where it's being bought, who the buyers are, how often the shipments are occurring and which markets are relevant.

That can make the whole research process feel less like reading a series of discrete numbers and more like you're actually following a trail.

Looking Beyond a Single Shipment

One consignment rarely tells the full story. Trade only really becomes meaningful when you start to see the patterns over time.

If the same products are moving in and out of the same countries on a regular basis that may be an indication of an established trading relationship. The emergence of new companies in the data could be an indicator of a changing competitive environment. A rise or fall in the volume of shipments could be the sort of thing that would prompt a business to look at what's going on in that market.

This is why Import Export Data is more than just a pile of shipment records. It can be a way of observing the movement of products and the relationships that develop around them.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Import Export Data?

Import Export Data is data relating to international shipments and trade transactions. The data will vary depending on the source and country but can include product descriptions, HS codes, quantities, values of the shipment, importers, exporters, countries, ports and dates of shipment.

How can Import Export Data help with product research?

It can assist businesses in looking at where products are being imported and exported, who the trading partners are and how the products are moving between countries and markets.

Why is the HS code important when you're looking at a product?

An HS code is a standard classification for products used in customs and trade. Using the right HS code will make your product-specific trade research far more accurate.

Can I search trade data by country and product?

Yes they can. The trade platforms will allow you to combine country and product filters with other filters such as HS codes, import export type and shipment details. Exim Trade Data's platform enables you to search on country, product, HS code, importer, exporter and shipment data.

How can Exim Trade Data be of use in international trade research?

Exim Trade Data provides a broad range of global trade data and research capabilities. This includes country level data, product and HS code searches, shipment data, dashboards and a range of related trade intelligence services.

The Journey Continues With the Data

Every international shipment is more than just the movement of goods from A to B. It's part of a much bigger commercial journey involving the goods, the companies, the countries, the ports and the trading relationships.

By looking at the Import Export Data you can actually follow that journey and see the relationships that exist in the movement of goods. Rather than just asking where a product is sold you can start to ask where it comes from, who it is going through, which markets are buying it repeatedly and how the trade in that product changes over time.

That broader view can turn a simple shipment record into the starting point for deeper international trade research.