General

Customs data is one of the most frequently contacted data in the work of obtaining customers for foreign traders. Because of its huge role, customs data has become a key tool for many foreign traders. However, some foreign trade novices do not know how to obtain customs data, nor how to use them correctly after obtaining a large number of data. Today, I will take the most popular Russia as an example to comprehensively explain how to obtain and use customs data.

1、 How to obtain Russian customs data

Before taking you through the specific use methods of customs data, we should first understand the commonly used methods of obtaining customs data: free access and paid access.

1. Free access. Independent collection is conducted by using open Internet resources, usually through the portal of the General Administration of Customs, the official website of the Ministry of Commerce of China and the official websites of other international trade organizations. The characteristics of free customs data are:

(1) Limited by relevant national laws and regulations, the updating speed of such data is slow and the data lags behind;

(2) The retrieval/analysis is not convenient;

(3) There may be keyword restrictions or frequency restrictions in free websites;

(4) Free websites generally do not filter information for users, many of which are information of freight forwarding companies.

2. Paid access

The way to obtain payment is mostly through domestic payment platforms, and online query or direct generation of purchaser information reports through various payment platforms. Its characteristics are:

(1) Compared with free access, paid access to more comprehensive and timely purchaser information;

(2) Compared with the free way, the cost is higher, generally speaking, thousands to tens of thousands;

(3) It is not unique to sell more than one item;

(4) Some buyers' reports will include market analysis, macro data of importing countries and other information, which is relatively comprehensive.

2、 How to use Russian customs data

After getting the Russian customs data, there will be another big problem, that is, many people can't understand it and won't use it. The customs data is often a simple data list and won't be refined, so it's time to test the ability of foreign traders. To help you quickly get useful information in the data, here are four specific directions:

1. Screening target customers

Through the Russian customs data, we can select a large number of Russian purchasers from a targeted perspective, so as to understand the size, company strength, purchasing habits and purchasing power of the purchasers, and judge whether they match their own needs. The list of high-quality overseas customers with strong strength and large procurement volume can be selected through data, which can provide important customer reference for foreign trade expansion personnel and enable foreign trade personnel to write development letters in a targeted manner.

2. Obtain the basic information of the purchaser

Russian customs data will display the basic information of enterprises such as enterprise name or enterprise website. You can use these publicity information to find useful information such as contact information of overseas purchasers through Google, LinkedIn or other tools on the Internet, which can better support the development of customers.

3. Understand competitors

Through Russian customs data, we can also understand the trade details of our competitors, and reverse the customer resources, supply volume, supply frequency and supply cycle of our competitors, so as to optimize our foreign trade competitiveness. Know yourself and your enemy, and you will win every battle.

4. Industry trend of obtaining goods

Through a large number of customs data, it can be clearly known which region of Russia is the gathering place of large purchasers of the goods. Through the analysis of transaction records, you can also know the quantity and frequency of products purchased by the purchaser, find out when the peak purchase season is, and calculate the optimal stock quantity of goods in different periods.

Finally, I want to say that although the role of customs data is great, it can only assist in developing customers, and can not directly send customers to foreign traders. After all, customs import and export data is only one way to gain customers in foreign trade, and it still needs to be used together with other channels and methods to play its value and role. Therefore, foreign traders should open more channels and find more ways to gain customers!