Finding the Right Market for Your Product? Use Import-Export Data Smarter

[quynhhoanguyen]

For anyone building a global-facing product — whether you're in SaaS, e-commerce, or logistics — market research is everything. But how often do we rely on vague trends or generalized reports from 3rd-party blogs?
What if you could see exactly which countries are importing or exporting specific products, how much, how often, and from which companies. That’s where import-export data tools come into play.

Some of the popular tools include:

• Panjiva / ImportGenius – great for the U.S. market, but pricey;
• UN Comtrade / government portals – reliable but hard to navigate;
• Or newer, more focused tools like Tradeint, which provides clean, searchable data from major markets like the U.S., China, Japan, Korea, and more.

I’ve recently tried out Tradeint, and for anyone targeting Asia or doing cross-border research from Vietnam, it's surprisingly useful. It lets you:

• Search by HS code, product name, or company.
• See shipment details (volume, value, date, port of origin/destination);
• Analyze competitors or spot rising demand in specific regions.

Whether you're validating a product idea, identifying potential partners, or just trying to understand what’s happening in global trade, this kind of data is gold.
Has anyone here used tools like this to guide market entry or product planning? Would love to hear your stories or tool stack!