Product preparation and installation problems when considering exporting to different overseas markets. The importance of pre-testing a product before shipping and importance of providing training for local service providers. This article is part of the U.S. Commercial Service's "A Basic Guide to Exporting".
Last Published: 10/20/2016
Another element of product preparation that your company should consider is the ease of installing the product overseas. If technicians or engineers are needed overseas to assist in installation, your company should minimize their time in the field if possible. To do so, your company may wish to pre-assemble or pretest the product before shipping or to provide training for local service providers through the web,Your U.S. brand name is important to you, but it may be less important to foreign consumers. On the other hand, in some places, it may be more valuable than it is in the U.S.A visible endorsement from a famous person may get you sales at home, but the same person may be unknown—or, worse, disliked—elsewhere.

Your company may consider disassembling the product for shipment and reassembling it abroad. This method can save your company shipping costs, but it may delay payment if the sale is contingent on an assembled product. Your company should be careful to provide all product information, such as training manuals, installation instructions (even relatively simple instructions), and parts lists, in the local language.


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