New site links buyers, markets

By RICHARD WOOD

Trade New Zealand expects eventually to have 2500 to 3000 exporters on its new MarketNewZealand.com website, which was officially launched yesterday.

The site, which has been in trial mode since it went live in September, has 1900 local suppliers listed and has processed 1300 trade inquiries, of which 600 have been responded to by exporters.

MarketNewZealand.com provides a way for international buyers to find quality suppliers from New Zealand more efficiently.

Buyers themselves are also vetted but ultimately the responsibility for any transactions rests with the firms involved.

Trade New Zealand chief information officer Hans Frauenlob said not all exporters had a web presence but whether they did or not, "the biggest value to exporters is that [the site] provides qualified opportunities".

Trade New Zealand does some initial groundwork in each case to ensure leads are not just from "tyre- kickers". Inquiries can also be filtered, for example to limit inquiries from a particular set of countries.

The 1300 inquiries so far compare with a total of 3000 each year under the previous, less automated, system. The web-based approach also allows Trade New Zealand to attract buyers and help exporters beyond the 38 overseas posts where it has staff.

MarketNewZealand also takes on the role of providing international news and market intelligence information for exporters and export-related local news.

Exporters can enter a "profile" and be automatically notified of relevant news and information. Registration is free but exporters must pass a "bar" to be sent inquiries.

Each exporter is assigned an account manager to assist.

MarketNewZealand.com is the biggest project out of $13.1 million provided by the Government to develop e-business for exporters and is based around the NZ Exporters Online directory.