Firms urged to target US as exports rise 22%

IRISH exports to the US in the first four months of 2004 were 22% ahead of the same period last year, leaving Ireland on course to become America’s eighth largest trading partner.

American Importers Association director general Phillip Byrd said yesterday that Ireland was punching above its weight and called on Irish exporters to build on their success and do more business in the US.

Speaking at an Irish Exporters Association (IEA) function in Dublin, Mr Byrd said 87% of American importers had a positive opinion of Irish goods. He predicted that Irish exports to the US would be worth more than $30 billion in the current year, driven by strong performances in the chemical, drugs, medical equipment and electronics sectors. The US eclipsed Britain as Ireland’s biggest export market last year.

But there remained considerable scope for Irish businesses in other sectors to be successful, according to Mr Byrd. He said businesses could improve their sales by targeting buyers in the US through effective use of direct marketing, such as high-quality mailshots, and user-friendly websites.

IEA president Michael Counahan said that 95% of Irish exporters were connected to the internet, but only one-third of these were using it to further their trade.

The IEA published a booklet for exporters yesterday to provide tips on using the internet to market their products. The booklet recommended choosing a website name that was easy to remember, designing a site that made it easy for buyers to make an order and communicating the existence of the website on all company stationery and delivery vehicles.

Mr Byrd stressed the importance of online business in targeting American clients.

“More and more American importers want to do business over the internet and this could be the key to customer retention,” he said.

Mr Counahan said exporters needed cost-effective and advanced communication services to grow their trade with the US and other countries.

He welcomed recent government initiatives to improve broadband access but warned that Ireland continued to lag behind Britain, Germany and Scandinavian countries in commercial use of the internet.