|
New strategies needed to tap EU market
Vietnamese companies should develop long-term export strategies and invest in product quality to penetrate the EU market, an expert has said.
European buyers were looking for cheaper alternatives, which could further open the door for Vietnamese goods, said Prof Rob van Eijbergen, an expert with the Netherlands Center for the Promotion of Imports from Developing Countries.
Speaking on the sidelines at a conference held by the HCM City Investment and Trade Promotion Center yesterday, van Eijbergen said exporters must understand importing countries’ market needs and trade barriers.
Local staff should also improve foreign language skills to help them in negotiations with partners.
"It takes some time for a company to be successful in a new market," he said, adding "Vietnamese companies must be more patient."
Companies in the same sector should work together to conduct market research to reduce costs and find inche in the market, he added.
Companies should also create their own designs in order to offer importers more choices as well.
Jos Schellaars, consul general of the Netherlands in HCM City, said the global economic crisis had adversely affected Viet Nam’s export turnover, foreign direct investment, tourist numbers and revenues.
Local companies were attempting to discover ways to reduce costs and improve efficiency during the downturn.
Johan Laman Trip, an expert with the Netherlands centre, said economic conditions were rapidly changing as a result of the crisis, making it difficult to develop export strategies.
Companies should keep up to date about their markets to gain better access, he said.
Strict sanitary regulations as well as trade barriers set by importers are major obstacles for exporters from developing countries.
Exporters need coaching to cope with these requirements, Trip said.
Gunter Schranz of the Netherlands centre, said company restructuring, staff training and trade promotion programmes could help broaden export markets and create a solid base for business expansion after the global downturn ends.
vietnamnews
|
