Market research helps identify market opportunities in global markets and also helps find prospective customers. First find out as much about the target market as possible. The CIA World Fact Book is a good source of general business information, and cultural insights can be obtained from Lonely Planet and other travel web pages. Determine if there are any market specific restrictions. The Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs is one source of country reports.
Many countries place tariffs and restriction on the import of foreign goods.
In such cases, alternate markets may need to be identified. Information on specific business conditions, including taxation and distribution channels, can be found in the International Trade Administration Overseas Business Reports . Investigate the economic indicators in the countries of your choice. Some factors to look for are the GNP, current trends and recent history in their stock markets. A good source of statistical information, especially time-series data, is available from the University of Toronto .