The Sunday Mail
Trade Focus
Allan Majuru
DEMAND for Zimbabwean products has been going up in regional and international markets over the past few years.
The rising demand comes on the back of President Mnangagwa’s engagement and re-engagement drive, which, in part, targets to reintegrate the Zimbabwean economy into global supply chains.
Production of quality products by industry has also played a major role. Zimbabwean goods are often preferred to what the competition offers.
For example, buyers in Europe prefer Zimbabwe-grown blueberries and other fresh produce, which are believed to have superior taste.
Buyers of building and construction materials in regional markets such as Botswana have often described Zimbabwean products as strong.
There is, therefore, no doubt that local products, in terms of quality, have potential to perform well in any market in the world.
Marketing products and presenting them to buyers at trade exhibitions is of paramount importance.
The Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF), running from April 25 to 29, is the country’s prime trade exhibition designed to improve interface between manufacturers and distributors.
There are many more such events around the world that companies seeking to improve their export market share must consider.
Trade exhibitions allow firms to demonstrate their products and services, meet industry partners and customers, study competition and examine recent market trends and opportunities.
Participating in trade fairs presents an opportunity to get new leads, which can translate into increased exports.
These events enable local companies to meet prospective buyers, generate business contacts, engage in business-to-business meetings and learn market trends so that they develop competitive products and services.
Trade exhibitions offer businesses an opportunity to showcase products and services to a large audience, which can help to increase brand awareness and attract new customers.
The events also provide some of the excellent platforms to meet potential buyers, who will be concentrated in one place.
So, companies that are well-prepared are likely to score big.
Companies that took part at the Fruit Logistica — the largest fresh fruit and vegetables fair in the world — earlier this year presented unique produce from Zimbabwe and recorded deals of over US$15 million.
Some of the orders are huge and the companies are expanding their operations and working with outgrowers to meet demand.
There is also a group of sculptors from Masvingo that ZimTrade facilitated to attend an exhibition in Ambiente, Germany, and they have since started to export to that market.
Participation at trade fairs is, undoubtedly, likely to bring tangible results.
Experiences from previous trade exhibitions have shown that companies that participate at such events have potential to gain much more.
During last year’s ZITF, one of the youth-led businesses that was exhibiting under ZimTrade met a visitor in the same line of trade, who positively impacted on their operations.
From the engagements, the visitor was impressed and pledged to support development of the business through capital.
The business received equipment at an extremely competitive price and favourable payment terms.
This example shows that business-to-business engagements that take place during trade fairs can contribute to export growth.
By taking advantage of trade promotion activities, one can unlock new opportunities, grow operations and maximise business potential.
Critically, these platforms provide space for local companies to benchmark their products with what competition is producing. They also provide an insight into consumer dynamics and other market requirements.
The events often include seminars, workshops and keynote speeches that offer insights and education on relevant topics.
The Intra-Africa Trade Fair, taking place this year, has already started with a series of seminars, where business leaders share insights into developing successful exporting enterprises.
Organisers of the largest trade fair in Africa have also started publishing podcasts, with speakers from different parts of the continent.
These are already providing key insights into African markets, such as consumer requirements and market dynamics, creating leads in those markets and successfully establishing networks in non-traditional markets.
Attendees can learn about new technologies, industry trends and best practices.
Getting prepared for a promotion event
There is no substitute for adequate preparations by participants.
It is often said: “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail”.
In this respect, ZimTrade assists companies to be fully prepared for trade fairs.
Firstly, companies should develop objectives for participating in the event. These will be used to measure effectiveness of their participation.
Companies also need to develop appropriate promotional materials and graphics that will attract visitors to their stands.
Preparedness also means mobilising potential visitors to the stand and setting up meetings prior to the event.
Evaluations conducted by ZimTrade have shown that companies that mobilise potential buyers prior to participating at a trade exhibition have better chances of getting orders.
During the event itself, it is imperative that the booth be manned by trained staff, who are competent in handling questions on all aspects of products on show.
After the event, it is important for participants to follow up on all leads obtained from the trade show.
Quick follow-ups increase chances of sales. The first one to follow up usually wins the sale. In preparation for these trade fairs, ZimTrade has several programmes designed to assist companies to be competitive at trade exhibitions.
For example, within the Marketing and Branding for International Competitiveness training programme offered by ZimTrade, there are two specific modules — “Effective Trade Fair Participation” and “How to Gather Competitive Intelligence”.
Companies can also benefit from other interventions by ZimTrade to improve enterprise competitiveness.
Firms across all sectors have benefitted from long-standing partnerships with experts from the Netherlands-based PUM and SES (Senior Experten Service) of Germany. To date, the experts have worked with businesses in areas such as lean manufacturing, production scheduling and product design, leading to improved factory efficiencies as a result of reduced production costs.
Allan Majuru is ZimTrade’s chief executive officer
