5 reasons businesses never start exporting internationally

1. Businesses do not know where international buyers are and how they find suppliers

Common problems of Vietnamese businesses

• Vietnamese businesses have good products but don't know where the buyers come from or how to find them.

• Most SMEs only sell domestically and have never approached the international market.

• The lack of information makes businesses afraid to start because they don't know what step 1 is.

Why is it difficult to approach buyers in the traditional way?

• International buyers do not use Facebook or Zalo to find suppliers.

• They look through large B2B platforms like Alibaba.

• If your business is not present where buyers are looking, they will never see your products.

Solution using B2B model on Alibaba

• Alibaba is a place where global buyers actively search for suppliers by industry.

• Businesses just need to open a booth to be visible to millions of buyers.

• The RFQ system helps buyers send quote requests directly to businesses.

=> Therefore, Vietnamese businesses do not start not because there is no buyer, but because they are not present in the right place where the buyer is looking.

2. Enterprises lack knowledge about exporting, documents and payment processes

Reasons why SMEs do not dare to start

• Afraid of complicated procedures: CO, CQ, packing list, invoice, international contracts.

• Do not understand Incoterms conditions such as FOB, CIF, EXW.

• Worried about international payment fraud.

Reality: these difficulties can be completely solved

• B2B buyers are often very professional, with clear requirements.

• The modern export process is much clearer.

Solution on Alibaba

• Alibaba Vietnam supports consulting on opening stores and training from basic to advanced knowledge.

• Trade Assurance (transaction protection) helps businesses receive payments safely.

• New businesses do not need to be very professional to still be able to export.

=> Lack of knowledge is no longer a major barrier if businesses start exporting through Alibaba.

3. Businesses worry about not having English-speaking or specialized personnel

Common problem

• Vietnamese SMEs often lack English-speaking personnel.

• One person has to do many things: marketing, sales, customer care, and operations.

Reasons why businesses are afraid to start

• Afraid of not being able to answer the buyer.

• Fear of not understanding technical requirements from international customers.

Solution using tools and team from Alibaba Vietnam

• The floor has an automatic translation tool to help communicate with buyers.

• The booth opening consulting team supports writing descriptions, SEO standards, and image editing according to international standards.

• Product descriptions are standardized according to the requirements of the B2B model on Alibaba.

Advantages when exporting through Alibaba

• No need for many personnel, just one person in charge.

• The working process is neat and not complicated.

=> Lack of personnel is no longer a legitimate reason to delay exports.

4. Businesses are afraid of risks, afraid of costs, and want to see certainty before daring to do anything

Vietnamese SMEs rely too much on experience, less on data

• "No one in the industry has done exporting, so I don't dare do it."

• “If it's wrong, you'll lose money and work.”

• “Exporting probably requires an investment of 200–500 million.”

In fact, traditional export costs are very high

• Cost of going to international fairs: 100–300 million

• Expenses for renting offices and foreign teams

• International marketing costs

=> SME cannot follow this model.

Alibaba's solution reduces risk to nearly zero

• The cost of opening a store on Alibaba is dozens of times cheaper.

• No need to go to fairs, no need for a large team.

• Buyers proactively come to you, reducing the risk of losing marketing costs.

• Data displayed in real time:

- searches

- keywords

- analyze competitors

- Industry reports

=> Export decisions can be completely based on data, not emotions.

5. Businesses don't know where to start among dozens of tasks: images - descriptions - prices - customers - legal documents

Reasons why businesses "stand still"

• Seeing too much to do, I was overwhelmed right from the start.

• There is no one to guide you step by step.

• The "ambiguity" causes businesses to delay indefinitely.

Things that seem complicated but are actually simple

Businesses only need to prepare:

• Product images

• Technical information

• Video (optional)

• Certification (if any)

Solution: Alibaba Vietnam provides step-by-step instructions

• Consulting on opening booths to support businesses from A–Z.

• Instructions on how to write standard B2B descriptions.

• Optimize display on the floor to make it easy for buyers to find.

• Support running internal advertising (P4P) to create impressions right from the first month.

Benefits of starting with Alibaba

• Have a clear roadmap

• Know exactly what to do every day

• Don't be "overwhelmed" by the amount of work

ALIBABA VIETNAM COMPANY - EXPORT E-COMMERCE FLOOR

• Head office: 19th Floor, Saigon Center Building, No. 67 Le Loi Street, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1

• Email:  [email protected]

• Phone: (+84) 987 258 510

• Branch 1: 10th Floor, Becamex Tower, 230 Binh Duong Avenue, Thu Dau Mot, Binh Duong

• Branch 2: 9th Floor, TTC Plaza, Vo Thi Sau, Thong Thong Ward, Bien Hoa City, Dong Nai

• Branch 3: 123 Cong Hoa, Ward 12, Tan Binh, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam