Exporters need to stay abreast of competitive conditions in their current markets, scan opportunities for new or emerging markets, as well as look for opportunities to diversify or value-add to their existing product range. At the same time importers worldwide also seek to optimise the potential offered by preferential trade agreements and improve the efficiency of their sourcing by scanning for new and competitive supplier countries. CRT fully addresses these issues with its suite of user friendly market analysis tools that help exporters, importers and trade support institutions stay up to date with international trade trends, improve their selection of export markets and suppliers, research and analyse markets in-depth and over time grow their trade portfolio.

Information

The CRT Market Analysis Tools will soon become fully accessible to our members and member enterprises to examine the export and import statistics of over 220 countries and territories to better understand supply and demand trends for around 5,300 internationally traded products. The tools are unique in product detail, as well as in breadth of geographic coverage – particularly for developing and least developed countries whom we are striving to help to emerge into today's global markets.

To understand how you can use the market analysis tools to research export markets, we will be releasing free training videos demonstrating various features of the tools.

In addition to information on customs tariffs applied by around 187 countries, users will soon also be able to access non- tariff market access regulations applied by countries to imported products. These include sanitary and phytosanitary measures, other technical standards, taxes and procedural requirements among others.

The rapidly evolving field of voluntary sustainability standards is also of keen interest to many exporters. Whilst by definition, they do not fall within the set of national compulsory market access requirements, voluntary standards have the potential to help producers sell into niche markets and improve the environmental and social conditions associated with their production and trade. Yet with the expanding number of voluntary standards and their increasing complexity, producers struggle to weigh up the costs and potential future benefits of certification and compare the merits of different voluntary standards. CRT’s newest market analysis tool, Standards Map aims to improve transparency in this area and help exporters make more informed decisions about trade in products certified under voluntary schemes.

The market analysis tools provide companies with data on the size and growth of markets in value and quantity terms, the unit values paid in different markets, the shares and trade performance over time of competing supplier countries, as well as customs duties applied by markets – including preferential tariff rates arising out of regional trade agreements between countries. Users can examine the data and trade indicators in tables or generate graphs to easily compare different trade performance indicators. In addition to nine years of time series data, the tools also provide the most recent monthly import statistics for key markets and national tariff line data that enable further product group segmentation, thereby improving the precision of export opportunity identification.

Training

CRT provides a range of face-to-face and distance learning programmes in market analysis and research that support companies, trade support institutions and governments in developing countries. Training content is tailored to the particular needs of the audience.

Face-to-face training programmes oriented to enterprises and trade support institutions emphasise practical hands-on experience for participants and range from short introductory 2-4 day workshops on using CRT’s market analysis tools for export market screening to in-depth multi-workshop programmes delivered over several months on the comprehensive process of researching and analysing export markets. Longer programmes provide training in applying a market research methodology that includes the use of CRT’s market analysis tools as well as other trade intelligence sources and various modes of trade information gathering.

In addition to training programmes delivered face-to-face through in-country workshops, CRT is increasingly developing and offering web-based distance learning training content and programmes to broaden its reach to more beneficiaries.

To discuss your concrete needs in market analysis and research and for a customized proposal, please contact us to discuss further.