Nearly two-thirds of small- and medium-sized Northern Ireland firms (SMEs) that export goods and services are accidental exporters, it has been claimed.
New research by Parcelforce Worldwide has found that many of Northern Ireland's exporting small businesses do not make any preparations for selling overseas and began exporting by accident.
The study revealed that:
65% of exporters among Northern Ireland's SMEs did not plan to target overseas markets;
0.51% only began exporting because someone overseas placed an unsolicited order;
89% of exporters had not researched their target market;
79% did no overseas marketing;
82% had not sought advice on exporting and
98% had never spoken to a British Foreign Embassy.
