Aimed to provide further aid to Philippine exporters, Philexport Cebu recently launched its new service dubbed the Isearch, a web-based market information system that provides basic market information on eight selected industries in the Philippines.
Isearch hosts and manages a market intelligence system (MKIS), a service of Philexport Cebu with support from the Pearl2 Project, a development project of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).
It is also part of one of the various Philexport programs called as the Export Diversification Program undertaken with the Centre for Promotion of Imports (CBI) from developing countries of the Netherlands.
In her presentation, Sabine Schacknat, Philexport marketing consultant said that Isearch is part of Philexport Cebu’s continued drive for effective and innovative services to the Cebu exporters.
Schacknat said that Isearch is a database wherein users can view, search and download basic market information on eight selected export industries on-line for 24 hours and seven days a week.
These industries include: furniture, housewares, holiday décor, costume jewelry, fine jewelry, footwear and leather goods as well as the health and wellness sector.
She said that Isearch contains statistic on world trade on these items which are detailed down to the sub-product and country level.
With Isearch, Schacknat said that major data sources are statistics downloaded from various websites as well as market reports and publications from specialized research organizations.
In Isearch, a user can find pre-processed statistics, data tables, charts and graphs that give valuable market information on key market trends per industry sector, short market reports on various topics as well as links for further research and resources, said Schacknat.
“Isearch will be a facility wherein you can improve your market knowledge, spot new trends and opportunities in your industry, know about your competitors, identify new market opportunities abroad and know what is going on in the latest trade shows,” Schacknat addressed member exporters of the Philexport Cebu during their recent annual membership meeting which also marked the official launching of the Isearch.
“For just one click, you’re there and you get easy and convenient access to market reports and pre-processed data so Isearch is really a tool for discovering new trends and markets,” she added.
She said that there are three tier models in downloading in Isearch which include: free web access service, fee-based customized on demand in depth search and market analysis and the (D & B) business information, credit reports and company profiling that could be used to audit and back check new potential buyers. —Rhia de Pablo