On the 12^th November, Kigtek attended ScotExport, a flagship exporting event hosted by Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Development International. The day provided some excellent sessions for companies already established in exporting, and for companies like Kigtek who were looking to enter the export world. This post will cover 5 key insights we gained from the event.

Innovation

Innovation is often linked to developing new products however, innovation can also be an opportunity to tell a story differently. Exporting is a fantastic way to do this as Sharazz Hyat from Collins Debden shared their experience of changing their image from a diary company to a lifestyle stationary brand through exporting.

Research, research and more research

It almost goes without saying but research is incredibly important to consider at every stage of an exporting journey. However, research should not just be focused on the consumers and/or in country agent’s needs and wants, cultural research is incredibly important. Cultural differences vary not only country to country but region to region, so doing the right research will help you massively in your exporting journey.

Visit

‘Don’t build strategy on assumptions.’ Desk research can only go so far, go to the places you see potential in, meet people face to face and start building in person relationships. Visiting the place first-hand could be pivotal in deciding if it is the right market for you.

Patience

Every exporting journey is different, but patience is a common theme among them all. Take the time to do the research, develop your strategy and be patient if it takes a while to build momentum. Don’t try to do too much too fast or you could find yourself facing unexpected setbacks that could delay you further.

Support

One of the biggest takeaways of the event was the incredible amount of support offered for companies of all sizes, at a variety of stages in their exporting journey. All speakers actively encouraged the audience to take all the support we could get as it had proved invaluable to them. Organisations such as SE and SDI have a huge bank of resources, from industry reports to meet the buyer events, and can provide support every step of the way.

We had a fantastic day visiting the ScotExport event and would like to thank all the organisers and speakers for hosting such an interesting and insightful day!

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