Exporting to the USA

Advantages and challenges of exporting to the USA

Guide

There are advantages and also potential challenges for Northern Ireland companies doing business in the USA.

Advantages of exporting to the USA

There are numerous advantages of exporting to the USA including:

  • world's largest market
  • world's largest private sector
  • low regulatory barriers
  • minimal language barriers
  • access to global supply chains that can lead to exports for other markets
  • one of the most innovative consumer markets in the world
  • productive and skilled labour force with high mobility
  • ease of doing business due to similar business culture
  • strong rule of law

You should also be aware of some challenges you could face when exporting to the US. It is a large market to do business in which can lead to some unique challenges.

Challenges of exporting to the USA

You should also be aware that there are a number of challenges of exporting to the USA including:

  • vast regional differences between the 50 markets/states
  • strong competition, causing saturation of products or services
  • high customer service expectations
  • high cost of living in major cities
  • significant time difference (between five and eight hours behind)
  • high cost for business insurance
  • litigation is common
  • expensive and time consuming process for work visas