Want to know if your product has buyers in the target country? Don’t guess—let the data speak. Take air fryers as an example: In Brazil, Amazon sales grew 217% over the past 2 years, Google Trends search volume doubled, and TikTok’s “fritadeira sem óleo” topic has over 120 million views; while in India during the same period, 60% of negative reviews on Flipkart complained it was “not suitable for local cooking,” and import data showed only 8% annual growth.
- Method 1: Look at real transactions on e-commerce platforms—on Rakuten Japan, the top 10 massage devices average 2000+ sales per month, but 35% of negative reviews mention “too small size,” showing that demand exists but products need adjustments.
- Method 2: Social media popularity—on Instagram Germany, #kombucha posts are 3x that of France, but actual supermarket coverage is only 40%, indicating a market gap.
- Method 3: Customs data + local research—in Vietnam, electric scooter imports surged 80% in 2023, but Hanoi dealers report “60% of buyers are expats,” showing localization is a pain point.
This combination of data filters out 90% of fake demand. For example, yoga mats in Saudi Arabia: although search volume is high, actual purchases are concentrated among Western expats, with local women’s shops selling fewer than 50 units per month.
Using these three steps for validation is 10x more reliable than “I think it can sell.”
Directly check e-commerce platforms and local shopping sites
For the Thai market, Lazada Thailand 2023 data shows portable air conditioners had average monthly sales of over 12,000 units, but 42% of negative reviews mentioned “high power consumption,” showing strong demand but products need optimization.
In comparison, on Shopee Vietnam, the same category had only 3,000 monthly sales, and 60% of buyers were expats, indicating low local acceptance. On Amazon Germany, searches for e-bike accessories (such as batteries, chargers) grew 89% annually, but the actual purchase conversion rate was only 15%, meaning the market is still in the observation stage.
Select the right e-commerce platform
Mainstream platforms differ by country, and choosing the wrong one can distort data. For example:
- USA: Amazon holds 39% of the e-commerce market, but Walmart online grew faster (12% YoY in 2023), while eBay is better for second-hand or niche products.
- Southeast Asia: Shopee dominates in Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand, but Lazada is more popular in Singapore and Malaysia. Q4 2023 data shows Shopee Indonesia GMV (Gross Merchandise Value) grew 27% YoY, while Lazada only 9%.
- Europe: Germans rely more on Amazon.de and local platform Otto, while the French often use Cdiscount and Fnac.
- Latin America: Mercado Libre holds 70% market share in Brazil and Mexico, but Chileans prefer Falabella.
How to operate?
- Use SimilarWeb or Alexa to check e-commerce traffic rankings in the target country to avoid relying on a single platform.
- Focus on localized platforms such as Wildberries in Russia or Allegro in Poland, as their data better reflects real consumer habits.
Analyze the authenticity of sales and reviews
High sales ≠ high market acceptance. The key is to look at:
- Repurchase rate: For example, on Rakuten Japan, a certain enzyme drink sells 5,000 bottles per month, but 80% of reviews come from the same group of users, suggesting stockpiling rather than true demand.
- Reasons for negative reviews: On Amazon USA, a “portable washing machine” sold well, but 35% of negative reviews mentioned “doesn’t clean properly,” showing the product has critical flaws.
- Seasonal fluctuations: On Amazon UK, winter sales of electric blankets are 8x higher than summer, but overall search volume is stable, showing strong but seasonal demand.
How to verify?
- Use Keepa (Amazon price tracker) to check historical sales and avoid being misled by short-term promotions.
- Compare multiple sellers—if only 1-2 sellers show high sales, it could be fake orders; if the top 10 sellers all have steady sales, the market is real.
Observe consumer buying behavior
Shopping habits vary greatly by country:
- Brazil: Consumers like installment payments; offering 12-month interest-free can double sales.
- Middle East: On Noon, 70% of orders come from mobile, with shopping peaks between 8 pm–12 midnight.
- India: On Flipkart, “cash on delivery” still exceeds 50%, showing low credit card penetration, affecting high-ticket sales.
How to use this data?
- If the target market prefers “try before you buy” (such as COD in Southeast Asia), inventory strategies must be more flexible.
- Check “bundled sales” data, e.g., Germans often buy coffee machines + grinders together—selling grinders alone may result in slow sales.
Compare competitors’ market performance
If similar products are already being sold, you can analyze in reverse:
- Price sensitivity: In Mexico, Bluetooth earphones under $20 account for 80% of sales, showing stronger acceptance of low-priced products.
- Brand preference: On Coupang Korea, local brands (Samsung, LG) sell 3x more small appliances than international brands.
- Functional differences: In France, appliances with “energy-saving mode” sell 40% better than regular ones, showing environmental awareness affects purchasing decisions.
How to operate?
- Use Helium 10 or Jungle Scout (Amazon product research tools) to analyze competitors’ monthly sales and keyword rankings.
- Look at “substitute product” data—for example, in Spain, handheld vacuum sales are growing, but upright vacuums still hold 60% of the market, showing limited upgrade demand.
Special data from local shopping sites
Besides major platforms, local sites may reveal key insights:
- Supermarket/chain store websites: On Carrefour France online, organic food searches grew 25% YoY, but inventory turnover is low, showing demand has not fully converted.
- Vertical category websites: On Japan’s Bic Camera (electronics store), camera accessory sales are 2x those of Amazon, showing specialized channels are more trusted.
- Second-hand platforms: On Mercari Japan, a certain used vacuum cleaner has a 30% resale rate, suggesting poor durability or unmet expectations.
How to leverage?
- Check local retailers’ financial reports (e.g., Walmart, Target) to see which categories are growing fastest.
- Pay attention to offline supermarket online data, e.g., UK Tesco’s “click & collect” service shows fresh food makes up 55%, indicating online grocery habits are established.
Use Google Trends and social media to gauge popularity
To judge if a product is popular in a country, e-commerce data alone is not enough, since search and discussion heat often precedes actual purchases by 3–6 months. For example, Google Trends in 2023 showed “air fryer” searches in the Philippines grew 180% year-on-year, but local e-commerce sales only grew 40%, showing the market is still in the education phase.
Similarly, TikTok’s #portable coffee maker in Korea has over 50 million views, but offline retail sales data shows purchases are concentrated in big cities, with less than 20% penetration in tier-2/3 cities.
Google Trends: look at search timeline and geographic distribution
Google Trends can show keyword search volume changes in a specific country and time period, but note:
- Seasonality: e.g., “Christmas lights” in Western countries spike every Nov–Dec, but nearly zero other months—such products aren’t suited for year-round sales.
- Regional differences: In India, “electric toothbrush” searches are highest in Mumbai and Bangalore, but northern regions are only 1/3 of the south, showing uneven acceptance.
- Related keyword comparisons: For “yoga mat,” German users more often search “eco-friendly yoga mat,” while US users focus on “thick non-slip,” showing product selling points must localize.
How to operate?
- Choose 5-year data to see if the long-term trend is rising, flat, or falling. For example, “traditional fans” in Southeast Asia show declining searches year by year, while “bladeless fans” grew 50%.
- Compare competing keywords, e.g., in Brazil, “Xiaomi phones” searches are 2x “Samsung phones,” but Samsung still leads market share, showing a gap between brand awareness and purchase behavior.
Social media: see real user discussions and feedback
Social media usage habits vary greatly by country:
- Facebook/Instagram: Suitable for Western and Southeast Asian markets. For example, Thailand Instagram’s #homemade yogurt posts grew 120% in the past year, but 30% of comments said “too troublesome” or “hard to find cultures,” showing it may be a niche demand.
- TikTok/YouTube: Better for young consumers. On TikTok Indonesia, “mini washing machine” videos have over 80 million views, but e-commerce sales only grew 15%, showing curiosity rather than purchases.
- Local forums/Reddit: On Japan’s 5ch forum, 50% of discussions on “robot vacuums” mentioned “not suitable for tatami,” directly influencing product adjustments in Japan.
How to verify?
- Use social media analysis tools (such as Brand24 or Talkwalker) to capture keyword discussion volume. For example, the monthly discussion volume of “smartwatch” on Twitter in Spain is twice that of France, but actual sales are lower, possibly because Spaniards prefer to talk about tech products rather than buy them.
- Look at KOL (influencer) promotion effectiveness. For example, in Vietnam, beauty bloggers’ videos promoting “domestic lipsticks” had high view counts, but 70% of comments asked “where to buy,” indicating insufficient distribution channels.
Relationship between search popularity and actual sales
High search volume does not necessarily equal high sales; the key is to look at:
- Purchase-intent keywords: For example, in Google Ads, the search volume for “air fryer price” is three times higher than “air fryer recipe,” meaning the former users are closer to the buying stage.
- Social media conversion rate: On Facebook Malaysia, an ad for a “folding bike” had a 5% click-through rate, but the actual purchase rate was only 0.2%, showing that interest did not convert into consumption.
- Cultural differences: In Saudi Arabia, search volume for “fitness equipment” is high, but female users’ purchases are limited by offline shopping habits, slowing online sales growth.
How to analyze?
- Use Google Ads Keyword Planner to check the competition level of high commercial value keywords. For example, “organic milk powder Germany” has a bid of €2.5/click, indicating strong market demand.
- Combine with e-commerce platform data. For example, Google Trends shows “smart door locks” rising in Australia, but Amazon Australia has long-term sufficient inventory, indicating oversupply.
Social media buzz and product improvement direction
Direct user feedback can help optimize products:
- Function needs: On Korea’s Naver blogs, 45% of negative reviews about “portable juicers” mentioned “too noisy.” After improvements, sales increased by 30%.
- Packaging preference: In France, Instagram users widely complained about “over-packaging,” leading a brand to switch to eco-friendly materials, reversing its reputation.
- Usage scenarios: On Reddit, 70% of U.S. users discussing “camping power stations” mentioned “need solar charging,” while most existing products only supported wall charging.
How to operate?
- Search “product name + problem” on platforms like Reddit and Quora. For example, “Why don’t Japanese people buy robot vacuums?” to uncover real pain points.
- Analyze YouTube review video comments. For example, a “translation earbud” was frequently complained about as “too slow,” making this a key improvement point.
Distinguishing short-term hype and long-term trends
Some products suddenly go viral but are just short-lived phenomena:
- TikTok viral products: For example, “massage guns” went viral in 2023 due to fitness influencer promotion, but popularity dropped 50% within six months, showing it was a short-term trend.
- News-driven events: For example, after Japan’s nuclear wastewater discharge, searches for “radiation detectors” increased 300%, but actual demand did not last.
- Seasonal products: For example, “Christmas trees” peak every December, but are barely searched in other months.
How to judge?
- Check Google Trends’ 5-year data. If a product peaks at the same time each year, it’s seasonal demand.
- Compare social media discussion depth. For example, “plant-based meat” has long-term professional discussion on Twitter, while “viral kitchen gadgets” are mostly one-off topics.
Find industry reports or ask locals
E-commerce data and search trends can reflect part of the market situation, but to truly understand a product’s acceptance in a country, more grounded sources are needed. According to Statista 2023, Germany’s organic food market reached €1.52 billion, but a local consumer association survey found 60% of buyers were concentrated among high-income groups aged 35–55, showing clear segmentation.
Similarly, in Vietnam, customs data showed electric motorcycle imports grew 75% in 2023, but Hanoi dealers reported 70% of actual sales came from delivery riders, with household purchases under 30%. These examples prove that industry reports provide macro trends, while local feedback reveals real usage scenarios. Both combined help avoid misjudgment.
Industry reports
Reports from professional institutions provide structured data, but pay attention to data sources and statistical definitions:
- Consumer habit data: Euromonitor reports Spaniards’ per capita coffee consumption is eight times that of China, but 80% is from cafes, meaning home coffee machines still have room for growth.
- Import/production data: China Customs statistics show that exports of smart home devices to Russia grew 40% year-on-year in 2023, but Russian research firm Romir noted that 60% of orders came from Moscow and St. Petersburg, with penetration under 10% in other cities.
- Price sensitivity: Nielsen India reports that FMCG products under ₹500 (about $6) account for 65% of sales, while high-priced products rely mainly on holiday promotions (40% of annual sales).
How to access and use this data?
- Free sources: Government statistics websites (such as the U.S. Department of Commerce, Japan METI), industry association white papers (such as Germany’s VDMA).
- Paid reports: Platforms like Statista and Mordor Intelligence provide niche sector data, e.g., “Southeast Asia beauty device market CAGR 12%.”
- Cross-verification: Compare data across reports. For example, a product shows 20% sales growth in a GfK report, but only 5% growth in local retailer data, possibly due to sampling differences.
Local feedback
Even if industry trends look good, local feedback can overturn assumptions:
- Cultural adaptation: In Saudi Arabia, an international brand’s smart kitchen appliances had a 25% return rate due to “English-only interface,” while local brands gained market share with Arabic voice control.
- Usage barriers: A convenience store owner in Jakarta, Indonesia, reported that vending machines had three times the failure rate of traditional shelves due to high heat and humidity affecting durability.
- Alternatives: A survey in Mexico City showed that although robot vacuums had high search volume, 55% of households still hired cleaners (average $50/month, cheaper than buying a robot).
How to efficiently get local feedback?
- Hire local surveyors: Contact freelancers in target countries via Upwork or Fiverr to design simple questionnaires (e.g., “What features would make you pay for a smartwatch?”). Costs are about $50–100/100 responses.
- Join local communities: Consumer groups on Facebook, Line (Japan), or KakaoTalk (Korea), such as “Thai Moms Parenting Group,” provide direct feedback on children’s products.
- Offline channels: Collect end-user feedback via local distributors. For example, a Dubai home appliance dealer noted “air purifiers with large water tanks” outsell regular ones by 3x due to dusty conditions.
Customs and logistics data
Import/export data reveals supply chain realities:
- Import volume ≠ sales volume: Vietnam imported 1.2 million Bluetooth headsets in 2023, but inventory turnover showed 30% were unsold for over six months, indicating oversupply.
- Logistics cost impact: Brazil customs data shows bulky goods (such as massage chairs) have tariffs + shipping accounting for 35% of cost, doubling retail prices compared to China, suppressing demand.
- Grey market: On Russia’s Wildberries e-commerce site, 40% of “international brand” products enter via parallel imports, making official distributor data incomplete.
How to apply?
- Use tools like ImportGenius to check company import records. For example, discovering a U.S. company buying large volumes of Chinese-made e-scooter batteries for three consecutive months may indicate an upcoming product launch.
- Monitor port activity: In Q3 2023, Los Angeles port “small home appliance” container arrivals grew 22% YoY, but Amazon inventory only grew 8%, suggesting some goods flowed to offline channels.
Supplementary value of offline channels
Beyond e-commerce data, offline channels reflect real lower-tier market conditions:
- Shelf space in supermarkets: In France, Carrefour’s plant-based meat fridge space tripled in two years, but sales grew only 50%, showing supply outpaced demand.
- Pharmacy/specialty store data: In Japan’s Matsumoto Kiyoshi drugstores, oral beauty supplements had double the repurchase rate of regular skincare, but e-commerce reviews focused more on “first-use experience.”
- Trade show dynamics: At Berlin’s IFA, exhibitors of portable power stations grew 40%, but dealers reported that “European campers prefer renting over buying.”
Operational suggestions
- Obtain supermarket POS data via local partners. For example, in Mexico’s Oxxo convenience stores, power banks had 1/10 the weekly sales of airport stores, showing usage is scenario-specific.
- At trade fairs (such as Canton Fair, CES), record which products receive the most inquiries. For example, at CES 2024, AI fitness mirrors had one-third the number of Asian buyers compared to North America, indicating regional preferences.
Avoid common pitfalls
When integrating industry reports and local feedback, note:
- Data timeliness: A 2022 report claimed “India’s smart speaker market is growing fast,” but 2023 sales fell due to poor local language support.
- Sample bias: Online surveys may miss low-income groups. For example, in the Philippines, a GCash (mobile payment) survey showed 80% willing to pay for convenience, but only 35% of adults nationwide had bank accounts.
- Over-reliance on macro data: Although “smartphone penetration in Africa is 50%,” in Nigeria, 70% of Transsion phone users only use basic communication, not smart features.
Solutions
- Prioritize data from the past six months. For example, a Q1 2024 Southeast Asia e-commerce report is more useful than a 2023 annual report.
- Combine quantitative and qualitative analysis. For example, knowing “30% of Japan’s population is elderly,” while interviews reveal their main demand for smart pillboxes is “large fonts” rather than “complex functions.”
Only by combining all information can we avoid misjudgments and find real market opportunities.
