Analyzing how markets work is a primary function of most marketing departments in top international companies. While consumer information is widely available from multiple sources, it is much harder to understand B2B international business environments and how companies interact with trading partners around the world. The best source for analyzing an international business environment is Trade Data.

While high level statistics, periodically released by the U.S. government, can provide some insights, the current economic situation requires both in-depth micro and macro analysis. U.S. Customs trade data allows users to fully understand the micro side, while an advanced trade data tool that utilizes U.S. Census trade data covers the macro part. So how are companies analyzing their markets with both U.S. trade data sets?

Calculating Market Shares on the Supply Side
To apply market share estimates, two numbers are needed. The first is how big the market is; U.S. Census data can be used to see the total values and weights of product categories that have been imported or exported. The second is how different players in the market are trading, which on the import side, comes from U.S. Customs data in the form of individual shipments.

Source Pricing Diagnostics
Product pricing is a key component of any market analysis and can be found by diving deep into how much product costs rise and fall over time. Below is an example of this in graphical form:


Product Market Profiles
Using trade data to create profiles of products gives executives and managers a solid understanding of both where imports and exports come from and go to, and also which ports are being used and the volumes being shipped. U.S. Census and U.S. Customs trade data also provides a comprehensive view of a market from high level statistics for the last several quarters, to the companies involved in the movement of goods.

Export Opportunity Analysis
U.S. Census trade data is the primary and only complete source of United States export trade data. Utilizing it shows users what markets are being underserved by U.S. suppliers and where there are potential areas of growth. While users cannot identify the companies exporting or receiving these products, a clearer picture of how exports are performing can be gleaned.

Transportation Trade Lane Analysis
Service providers, whose customers are importers and exporters, see trade data as a vital asset for their companies. Not only do they rely on it to understand trade lane trends, but also to discover where individual markets are growing. By analyzing their market effectively, resource planning is easier because forecasts are more accurate and bets are placed on only the best opportunities. Knowing what are the growth products, trade lanes, and selling markets of the future means beating competitors in a hypercompetitive industry.

Zepol's products allow you to do both detailed and aggregate analysis on markets, drawing connections that are far beyond the capabilities of simple data analysis. By using the advanced tools that Zepol provides, our customers are taking their trade intelligence to the next level. Read our case studies to find out how.