CUSTOMER: These trades shows
are so tiring.
Census Bureau?
How can the Census Bureau
help my business?
FTD: Do you export?
CUSTOMER: No, not really.
I mean, sometimes I do, but that's
only if a buyer contacts us.
I just don't know if there's
enough interest outside the U.S.
for me to even consider it.
FTD: Well, with over 95% of consumers
being outside of the U.S.
there's probably a lot more
interest than you think!
CUSTOMER: Wow, I didn't
think of it that way.
So what is it that you can do that
can help me find all those consumers?
FTD: I'm part of the U.S. Census Bureau's
Foreign Trade Division.
We are the official source
of U.S. trade statistics.
These import and export statistics
can be used to analyze market share,
find emerging markets,
and measure the impact
of foreign competition.
CUSTOMER: But how long
does this data take to come out?
Are your numbers old?
Do you pull them
out of a file somewhere?
I need data that reflects
current economic conditions.
FTD: Well, it's actually very timely.
Statistics are available about 40 days
after the end of the month.
CUSTOMER: Oh, that's
a lot faster than I expected!
Where do I get these statistics?
FTD: They can be found on our site,
usatradeonline.gov.
CUSTOMER: What is
USA Trade Online?
FTD: It's the entire foreign trade database
for the United States,
providing detailed import
and export statistics
on every good that
physically crosses our border.
As you can see
on this reference chart,
USA Trade Online
is an extensive data tool.
It gives you access to trade by commodity,
country of origin or destination,
value, shipping weight,
and method of transportation,
which includes vessel and air.
There are also breakdowns
by U.S. districts, ports, and state.
The data is available annually from 1992
and monthly from 2003
for all Harmonized System codes
and all trading partners.
CUSTOMER: Wow, I had no idea.
How much detail can I expect?
Can you show me?
FTD: Sure! What type
of business are you in?
CUSTOMER: I'm in the green energy industry,
specifically solar panels.
FTD: All right, with USA Trade Online,
we can look at many aspects
of your industry.
After you log-in, the data source
selection screen will appear.
Here we can choose
to look at exports
by selecting
the Standard Report - Annual link.
CUSTOMER: These categories
look way too broad;
I don't see how I could get data
on solar panels specifically.
FTD: These are just the chapters,
it gets much more detailed
when you expand them.
We can look up anything
from solar panels to soybeans.
CUSTOMER: Really?
Can I look up digital cameras?
FTD: Sure.
CUSTOMER: How about
peanut butter?
FTD: Yeah.
CUSTOMER: Even cell phones?
FTD: Those, too!
CUSTOMER: Okay, I'm going
to have fun with this later,
but let's get back to solar panels.
Can you show me how
to look at data on them?
FTD: Sure. First, let's remove
the selected commodities
by clicking the box
with the red X under "All."
Now we can search for solar panels
in the box located at the top.
Two codes have been generated
by our search,
so we'll select the code
for solar panels.
CUSTOMER: I want to see
the first code
because it applies to solar panels
rather than just solar cells, right?
So now I'd be able to see
all the countries
that we export solar panels to?
FTD: Yes! And you can specify the details
of the rest of the dimensions
by clicking their links
under the "Select dimensions" column
on the left.
CUSTOMER: So what will
this data look like?
FTD: You can see your report
by clicking the "view table" button
located on the top left
of the screen.
CUSTOMER: Okay, that makes sense.
What if I wanted to rank
by the largest markets for solar panels
by total value?
FTD: To sort, we would click
the down arrow
in the first column.
If you would like to do this
on your computer,
you can download your report
by clicking on the large green arrow.
CUSTOMER: Okay, I'll have to
remember that.
FTD: Now that we have
sorted the data,
you can see a large portion
of our solar panel exports go to Germany,
and exports to Canada
have been growing.
If your company wasn't exporting,
you may have missed
a big opportunity.
By using the data now, you can be
a part of the next growth boom!
CUSTOMER: Wow, I've heard
about those markets,
but I didn't know how large
they really were.
I also didn't realize exports
of solar panels
have jumped almost two thirds
between 2007 and 2008.
So how can I use this data?
FTD: You could use it to find
an emerging market
by analyzing the percentage
of growth over time for all countries.
Using this data, you could produce
something like this chart.
Here we can see
examples of countries
whose solar panel markets have grown
over the past five years
according to export data.
CUSTOMER: Great, and I can use
a similar report on import data
to measure my foreign competition?
FTD: Yes, definitely.
You can also view the average unit price
in other markets
to measure your
price competitiveness.
To do this, you would
just select "unit price"
as an option in your
measures dimension.
CUSTOMER: Oh, wow, I didn't know
that government data
could be so helpful!
I used to just wait for foreign orders
to come in,
but now I have a way
to find new markets!
FTD: I'm glad I could help.
CUSTOMER: I really have to get
to a meeting with my boss,
but let me just get
all of this straight:
So to get to this data
I go to www.usatradeonline.gov,
it comes out on a monthly basis,
and I can easily create
a customized report.
If I have any questions,
can I contact you?
FTD: Of course.
Here's my card.
CUSTOMER: Great, I can't wait
to show my boss
what we can do
with USA Trade Online!
Now I know I can use the data
for a lot of valuable insights
like identifying new and growing markets,
determining competitiveness,
and where to set prices
to maximize profits.
Now that we have the first part
of our export plan,
we can use this to prepare
for the future.
Thanks for your help!
FTD: No problem! Let me know
if you have any other questions,
and enjoy the rest of the trade show!