What is the purpose of a market brief?  

Market briefs are one of the most effective ways of meeting the increasingly complex and sophisticated trade information requirements of foreign trade enterprises and organizations in developing countries. The purpose of a market brief is to provide them with a concise overview of conditions for market entry and trends in a given import market. The overall objective is to facilitate the expansion of the foreign trade sector of developing countries.

The objective of a market brief is thus to facilitate commercial transactions, i.e. the sale of a product in a given market. Even if the recipient export enterprise does not make immediate use of the information to enter a new market, the market brief provides the enterprise with useful pointers, allows further research and could form the basis for reviewing the enterprise's marketing strategy.

Writers of market briefs are strongly advised to bear the following observations in mind when writing market briefs on behalf of the International Trade Centre:

• There must be a clear message in the market brief on market opportunities or "niches" available for developing countries in the particular market being studied

• In order to take the "pulse" of the market, contacts should be made with traders and trade supporting institutions in order to transmit the information in the market brief

• Information on how to effectively access the import market is crucial and should be part of the market brief

• Contact information on importers should be thoroughly checked as to the a) their updated telephone, fax and e-mail addresses and b) their being current importers of the product in analysis.