Please watch the video first, and work through this checklist:

1. Market Evaluation

• Identify potential markets.
• Consider cultural relevance to your brand.
• Analyze market size and growth potential.
• Utilize available data and reports (e.g., NZTE, Austrade).
• Study competition in the potential markets.
• Evaluate market accessibility, considering barriers (e.g., tariffs, quotas, regulations, cultural differences).
• Assess the budget required for exporting.

2. Marketing Strategy Development

• Localize marketing materials, packaging, and product information to suit the local market.
• Identify potential local partners or agencies.
• Evaluate pricing strategy based on local market conditions and competition.
• Identify effective channels for product distribution (e.g., e-commerce platforms, local distributors, direct sales to retailers).

3. Retail Opportunities Validation

• Evaluate potential retailers for their reputation, market presence, target audience alignment.
• Analyze the sales potential of a retailer.
• Review retailer's contractual terms.

4. Relationship Building

• Identify and engage with potential partners (distributors, agents, joint venture partners).
• Join trade associations and chambers of commerce.
• Utilize government support programs for exporters (e.g., Austrade, NZTE, export.gov, US Commercial Service).

5. Operational Readiness

• Understand paperwork and documentation requirements for exporting.
• Determine the efficient and cost-effective method for product transportation.
• Ensure compliance with local and international regulations.

Of course, this is a generalised checklist. Depending on your specific product or service and your target market, there may be other factors to consider. For instance, some markets may have specific requirements for products in certain categories, or there may be additional government resources available to assist businesses looking to export to a particular market. Tariffs are product category specific so you want to ensure you research those sorts of things too. And never, ever sign an exclusive contract with a distributor unless you have some solid key performance indicators (KPIs) in there.

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