Why export?
Exporting isn’t just for businesses looking to grow – it can also be part of your plan from day one. Whether you’re expanding into new markets, or your product or service is designed for overseas customers, exporting is a strategic decision that should align with your long-term goals.
Exporting plays a vital role in New Zealand’s economy. It helps businesses by:
- reaching larger markets
- boosting sales
- encouraging innovation.
Export businesses support regional development, create jobs and put New Zealand on the global stage - especially in key sectors like food, manufacturing, and technology.
Exporting is a big commitment. You need to be very clear about your reasons for exporting and plan carefully before making your decision.
It takes time, money and research to become a successful exporter. But you can be rewarded with exciting opportunities and new revenue streams.
Understand the benefits of exporting
Exporting has many benefits, whether you’re looking to grow your business competitively or have specific products or services to offer.
These are some reasons to sell overseas:
- Your business is ready to grow – you think there’s demand overseas for your products or services, and you have the resources you need to enter a new market.
- Your products or services have a competitive advantage in a particular market, and you want to make the most of it.
- You want to diversify your revenue streams, spreading risk across multiple markets.
- You want to innovate and improve your products or services by partnering with overseas companies.
- You want to benefit from economies of scale – for example, by reducing per-unit costs.
- You want to make the most of global seasonal sales – both literal seasons, and periods when you know you’ll have more or fewer sales.
Identify and manage exporting risks
Exporting has challenges too, such as:
- time and cost to get started – for example, for travel and research
- paying new costs – for example, for customs, tax, shipping and compliance
- being more disconnected from customers – for example, due to time differences, or language and cultural barriers
- dealing with complex regulations and compliance requirements
- managing legal risks that arise when you operate in another country
- managing political risk, especially if your market is politically unstable or there are restrictions on foreign exchange.
Getting expert advice and planning well can help you navigate these challenges. This can include having good export and risk management plans.
Boost your exporting knowledge
When deciding if exporting is right for you, it’s a good idea to research the sector, potential overseas markets, and what the next steps might be for your business.
Successful exporting takes resources and commitment. You’ll need:
- a good grasp of your market, and knowledge of the marketing strategies that work best
- a good understanding of how your product or service will solve a problem for customers in that market
- a good business foundation, and the ability to deliver goods or services as efficiently as possible.
Many of the activities to prepare for exporting will be the same as setting up your business, but through an export lens.
New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) offers tools, templates and learning resources that can help you and your business prepare to export. Look into the following to get started:
Complete the Export Essentials course
The “Getting ready to export” module in NZTE’s Export Essentials course is a great introduction to exporting and can help you:
- clarify your growth ambitions
- define your company's purpose
- learn how to really understand your export customers.
Read overseas market guides
NZTE’s market guides can help you understand potential overseas markets, before deciding where to export to. You can find out more about:
- business culture
- regulations and costs
- how to enter a market
- how to set up operations
- what consumers in that market want
- how to build your brand overseas.
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