If you want to buy a pack of ibuprofen in Cologne, you have to go to a pharmacy or order from an online pharmacy. In Chicago, the very same painkiller sits on a petrol station shelf next to chewing gum and energy drinks; in London you can pick it up at the supermarket, though only in small pack sizes. The product is the same everywhere, but the rules are not. That is exactly what makes the market for non-prescription health products so interesting, and at the same time so demanding for manufacturers looking to expand abroad.
10/16/2026Market size, trends, key suppliers, trade fairs and niches at a glance China imported around 1.56 million tonnes of durian in 2024, worth almost US$7 billion. A single fruit that most European supermarket shoppers have never seen thus reached, in one country alone, several times the value of all the classic exotics under customs heading 0810 90 imported by the EU and the UK combined (just over €900 million in 2022). The example shows how unevenly demand for exotic fruit is spread around the world. For growers and exporters in Latin America, Africa and Asia, this is good news: there is not one market but many – each with its own preferences, seasonal peaks and buying structures. Anyone looking to open up new sales markets needs to know which fruits are in demand where, who buys them and how they reach the shelf. This article provides an overview
10/2/2026Around 132 million children were born worldwide in 2025. That sounds like a huge, reliable sales market – and it is. A closer look at individual countries, however, shows how differently this market is developing: in China, only 7.92 million babies were born in 2025. That is 17 percent fewer than the year before and the lowest figure since official records began in 1949. And yet the global market for baby products keeps growing. How does that fit together? The explanation is simple: parents today spend considerably more per child than they used to – on safer, more sustainable and more technologically advanced products. This article gives an overview of how big the market is, which trends are shaping it, which companies set the tone, where the industry meets at trade fairs, which product groups and countries are in particularly high demand – and where smaller manufacturers can find rewarding niches.
10/1/2026Every manufacturer that enters the export business or wants to expand starts with the same question: Which country is the best place to sell my product? The obvious answer is: wherever the most is being bought. But this is precisely where the most expensive mistake in international sales begins. The biggest ranking is rarely the right ranking. Let us first look at the hard numbers — and then at why they can lead you astray.
9/30/2026Anyone taking their products into a foreign market for the first time sooner or later faces the same question: who actually sells my goods on the ground? A good product alone is rarely enough. You need an importer or distributor who knows the target market, has the right trade contacts and brings the motivation to build up a brand that is still unknown. So the crucial question is not whether you find this partner, but how. Broadly speaking, there are two strategies for this, and they can be captured neatly with two images from nature: hunting and fishing.
9/25/2026“Our product does great at home, so it’ll sell everywhere else too.” It’s an understandable thought – and yet it’s the one that sinks expensive market entries, one after another. A successful product is a ticket to the game, not a guarantee. Whether it lands in a new country depends on two things that have little to do with the product’s quality itself: whether the target market actually has an appetite for something new right now – and who, on the ground, actually gets it onto the shelf and builds the brand. A quick word on the term first: FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) are the everyday products people buy often, use up quickly and reorder without a second thought. This article looks at three questions that matter before any market-entry investment: In which countries is demand for interesting FMCG products particularly high right now – or on a lasting basis? Which product categories have the best chance of conquering a new market? And what role does the right importer play in turning a product into an established brand? The figures below come from recent industry and trade press; treat them as direction and order of magnitude, not gospel – the market-research houses’ forecasts diverge quite a bit, and that spread is itself a useful signal.
9/18/2026The global toy market staged a remarkable comeback in 2025. After three years of declining figures, the industry is growing strongly again — and for some surprising reasons. Anyone selling toys today is no longer selling to children alone. In this article we take a look at the market volume, the key trends, the leading players, the central trade fairs, as well as the countries and niches with the greatest potential.
9/13/2026The out-of-home food market is one of the largest and most dynamic economic sectors in the world. Under the abbreviation HoReCa – Hotels, Restaurants and Catering – everything comes together that has to do with the enjoyment of food and drink outside one's own four walls: from the five-star hotel and the chain restaurant sector to the staff canteen, from the trendy café to the cloud-kitchen startup. For export-oriented brand manufacturers, this market is an enormous field of opportunity – provided you know the right countries, the right product groups and the right routes to market. This article provides an overview of the total volume of the global HoReCa market, the defining trends of 2026, the most important trade fairs, the most sought-after product groups, as well as the regions and niches with the greatest growth potential.
8/27/2026Successfully contacting international importers requires adapting to different contact options (named buyers, contact forms, or phone numbers) and sending a short, personalized first message. Mention that your products already sell well in your home market and that you are looking for additional importers abroad. Avoid heavy attachments at the start. If the importer replies, send catalogs, certificates, and price information. If there is no reply, follow up politely two to three times over the following weeks. Personalized outreach and structured follow-ups clearly outperform mass emails.
7/31/2026