Export managers-whether in large or small companies-can
retrieve, from their workstation, a wide range of business
information with this rapidly evolving tool. The Internet operates
as a "virtual library", with a user who may be in Africa, a web
site that may be in the United States, and links to web sites that
may be in America, Europe or Asia. Even if connecting and
downloading can be slow (depending on the computer, modem and
telephone connections), it is faster than going to a public library
or requesting information by mail.
The Internet now has about 100 million users worldwide,
according to the International Telecommunications Union's latest
World Telecommunications Report. The Internet is used by business
executives not only in large industrial centres, but increasingly
in remote areas and in developing countries. Notably, some
countries with the highest number of Internet users per capita-such
as Finland, Chile, South Africa or Australia-were handicapped in
the past by information gaps and physical distance from major
export markets. Shipping goods may remain a question of distance,
but information access no longer does, thanks to the Internet.
Clearings in the "virtual jungle"
Finding one's way through the Internet is not an easy task.
Thousands of web sites contain business information, but they are
dispersed and difficult to identify through their domain name. As
the Internet is not centralized, and great freedom exists in
registering and naming web sites, finding relevant sources in this
"virtual jungle" is a challenge for non-experienced users.
Several services can help clear the paths through this virtual
jungle:
• Printed directories. Several "Yellow Pages" are available. The
largest directory of databases (Gale) classifies databases by
subject, and indicates available media (on-line and/or CD-Rom).
• Search engines. Search engines help identify relevant sources
by combining keywords (such as country, sector and/or topics).
Searches on specific subjects on international trade can lead to
disappointing or partial results, or generate long lists of sources
which have to be tested one after the other.
• Mega-sites. Tradeport, Trade Compass and World Trade Centers
Association are examples of "mega-sites" specialized in
international trade, offering large menus and links to web sites
with company profiles, business opportunities, market news and
other trade information.
• ITC's Index to Internet Sources (http://stage.intracen.org,
option "Infobases"). The most popular feature of ITC's web site,
the index covers 1500 sources, classified by categories, and with
short comments about each source. Begun in 1997, it is updated
regularly, in cooperation with many trade promotion organizations
which share their experience in the use of Internet services.
Frequently asked questions
ITC receives many queries about trade and the Internet from
developing countries, whether through seminars, technical
cooperation projects, or via the Internet.
Q. Where can I find a trade partner for my product?
A. Many national business databases and trade promotion
organizations tend to use the Internet as an inexpensive medium to
open their company registers to a worldwide audience, including a
growing number of developing and transition economies such as
Argentina, Brazil, Chile, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Malta,
Mauritius, Mexico, Poland, Slovenia, Thailand and Tunisia. (For
more information, see ITC's Index to Internet Sources.)
Among web sites with large databases with international coverage
are:
• Wer liefert was Business Network (http://www3.wlwonline.de/wlw/us)
covers 223,000 potential suppliers in 10 countries.
• European Business Directory (http://www.europages.com)
displays over 500,000 companies from 36 countries, freely
accessible.
• Kompass International Database (http://www2.kompass.com),
probably the largest source of company profiles with detailed
product classification, covers 1.5 million companies in 60
countries, representing 23 million products and 400,000 brand names
(searches are free; the retrieval of search results is not).
• World Trade Centers Association, with 300 members in 180
countries, offers a directory of 140,000 importers, exporters and
related businesses.
Q. Where can I exhibit my products? Which trade events
provide relevant market intelligence and useful contacts?
A. Many trade organizations use the Internet to post the agenda
of their trade events. For worldwide searches, these sources offer
many opportunities with free on-line access:
• Eventsource contains a database of 55,000 trade shows, events
and seminars (http://Eventsource.com).
• Expo Base offers a multilingual directory of 15,000 trade
fairs and over 25,000 service providers (http://www.expobase.com).
• Trade Show Centre covers 20,000 trade shows, 35,000
conferences and seminars and 5000 vendors (http://www.tscentral.com).
Q. Where and how can I find information on technical
standards, phyto-sanitary regulations, the environment and consumer
protection?
A. Governments, national standards institutes, and international
organizations are starting to find it easier and cheaper to
disseminate official documents via the Internet than to mail
printed publications. An added advantage: users can retrieve
abstracts or full texts through powerful thematic indexes. For
example:
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the ITU's
standards are accessible through the World Standard Service (http://www.wssn.net/WSSN),
which also provides links to numerous national standards
institutes.
The food industry can find detailed information on maximum
limits for pesticides from the Codex Alimentarius of FAO (http://www.fao.org)
Major on-line database hosts such as DST, DIALOG and PROFOUND
have set up web sites to promote their services and establish
easier access without special modem connection and communication
software (see ITC's printed directory "Selected commercial
databases", 1998).
(Many people also ask ITC about procurement opportunities.
See pages 27-28 for more information on this subject.)
Value-added services of the Internet
In addition to providing useful trade information, the Internet
offers other advantages for communications, translation, graphics,
purchase and delivery. Some of these advantages are explored in
greater depth elsewhere in this magazine issue.
The issue of translation is worth special mention. Services on
the Internet are improving, with possible text communication by
e-mail. For example, Newsbase Russia (newsbase.co.uk) publishes
various daily and weekly e-mail bulletins, in English, on Russia
and Central Europe on a subscription basis, with headlines from
main local periodicals.
One can also obtain by e-mail, upon request and for a fee,
full-text articles, translated into English (see ITC's "Information
keys to the Russian Federation", 1998).
Graphics trends for business use should also be highlighted.
Businesses and trade organizations are using images to display
product catalogues and for trade magazines (see especially http://www.asiansources.com
and http://www.asiaone.com).
E-mail messages can also carry attachments with complex graphics
that describe products or define detailed tender
specifications.
Web sites covering business information increasingly offer
direct e-mail links to enable users to react immediately to order a
publication, to subscribe to a bulletin, to contact a potential
trade partner, or to send registration forms to trade fairs and
other events.
Internet also offers a large variety of "news-groups" with the
possibility to disseminate information to specific audiences. In
this sense, Internet becomes a powerful tool to develop and
implement marketing strategies, as cybermarketing expert Arnaud
Dufour points out (see page 30).
Drawbacks
There are still shortcomings in using the Internet. The main
ones are:
• Thematic imbalance. Numerous web sites carry company
information and trade opportunities, but suppliers far outnumber
potential buyers or importers. Many sources contain macroeconomic
indicators, but few provide detailed trade statistics or customs
tariffs. In fact, due to the high volume of data involved and the
complexity of data retrieval, publishers still prefer to
disseminate such databases on CD-Rom. For example, ITC's PC-TAS, a
major source of international trade statistics, is updated yearly
on CD-Rom. (For more information on PC-TAS, see page 36).
• Geographic imbalance. Too few sites cover developing
countries. Web sites are developing rapidly in Asia and Latin
America, but at a slower pace in Africa and Arabic-speaking States.
Internet sources that support South-North trade far outnumber those
that promote South-South trade.
• Reliability and relevance. Too many web sites cover secondary
sources. Reference to primary sources is often hidden or difficult
to find. Checks on data quality can be insufficient.
• Time-consuming searches. Searching through web sites can be
time consuming, due to complex or poorly designed menus, and poorly
designed search engines that accompany the site.
• Cost. For some countries, Internet access costs remain high.
ITU reports that the average cost of a connection to a dial up an
Internet connection in Africa is US$ 75 per month, while only US$
15 in the United Kingdom and US$ 10 in the United States. Moreover,
many trade-related databases are protected by keywords and require
entry tickets or subscriptions.
Internet: a competitiveness factor
The situation is improving rapidly. Web sites are developing
exponentially in the developing countries. Costs-while uneven from
one country to another-are declining due to better
telecommunications infrastructure, more government support and
greater competition among Internet Service Providers.
This positive trend should help developing and transition
economies to bridge their information gaps on international
markets. More importantly, it should allow them to develop their
own information industry cost-effectively, and boost exports of
products and services.
Internet represents a key to business information exchange and
to the development of electronic commerce. In today's globalized
world, investing in the Internet and getting the most from it has
become a major competitiveness factor.
Bernard Ancel is Chief of ITC's Trade Information
Section.
(See also FORUM 1997/2, "New information and communication
technologies for market development, by B. Ancel and M.
Borgeon.