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11 reasons why you should be exporting your British-made brand

Recent figures show that UK exports of British-made products are at their highest for 7 years. If you are a British-made brand or UK manufacturer and you’re not exporting then you’re missing out.

exporting your British-made brand
11 Reasons why you should be exporting your British-made brand

The latest Purchasing Managers Index shows that exports of UK made products are increasing.

We’ve seen a big increase in overseas visitors to the Make it British website since the Brexit vote in 2016. Check out the graphs at the bottom of this post to see the growth in our visitors from the USA and Asia as evidence.

The IHS Markit/CIPS UK Manufacturing PMI August 2017
The IHS Markit/CIPS UK Manufacturing PMI August 2017

If you’re a British-made brand and not taking advantage of this then you should be!

Here are our 11 reasons why all British-made brands should have an export strategy.

1. Overseas shoppers associate British products with quality
There is data to prove that shoppers in other countries see British-made products as better quality. In fact, the Made in UK label is one of the most respected in the world.

2. British design is world-renowned
You can capitalise on this by showing off your product’s design credentials overseas.

3. Different seasons around the world helps to sell seasonal product all year round
If you sell a product such as swimwear exporting can help you sell to countries that are much sunnier than the UK. The same goes for cold weather products too.

4. Selling worldwide offers a much larger customer base to tap into
The British Isles are relatively small – when you export the world is your oyster!

5. Having customers in different countries spreads your risk
If all of your customers are in the UK and our economy goes down the toilet then you’ll still have overseas customers to sell your products to.

exporting British-made brand
Increase in visitors from the US to the Make it British website since the Brexit vote in 2016

6. You’ll sell more products
Expanding your customer base you’ll sell more products which in turn means you can increase the size of the orders that you place with your manufacturer.

7. It could give you the edge over your competitors
If your competitors are not already exporting then you can bet that they are thinking about it. You want to get your product to those all-important International buyers as soon as you can.

8. You can make more profit on each product
Often selling to International markets can command higher ticket prices than selling at home. You are, after all, selling a luxury British-made product.

9. Exporting increases a product’s lifespan
Most products have a certain amount of time that the customer is interested in buying them. By reaching out to new markets you’ll extend the longevity for each product as trends come and go in different countries.

10. You can describe your company as an ‘International Brand’
This puts your business into great company and in turn increases your brand profile.

11. Exporting helps the UK economy
This one needs no explanation…

exporting british brand
Increase in visitors from Asia to the Make it British website since the Brexit vote in 2016

If you are looking to export then there are several places you can go for help such as the UKTI.
The UK Fashion & Textile Association is also very useful if you are a fashion brand.

Below is a video of a talk by Paul Alger from the UKFT at our Make it British Forum in 2016. Full of lots of useful information about exporting a British-made fashion brand.

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