Foreign market selection process as tool for international expansion: Case study for ecuadorian chia seeds exports to the european union

Eduardo Terán-Yépez; Luna Santos-Roldán; Beatriz Palacios-Florencio; Juan Manuel Berbel-Pineda

doi:10.1590/0001-3765202020190513

Foreign market selection process as tool for international expansion: Case study for ecuadorian chia seeds exports to the european union

An Acad Bras Cienc. 2020 Apr 17;92(1):e20190513. doi: 10.1590/0001-3765202020190513. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Eduardo Terán-Yépez¹, Luna Santos-Roldán², Beatriz Palacios-Florencio³, Juan Manuel Berbel-Pineda³

Affiliations

¹ University of Almeria, Department of Economics and Business, Calle San Urbano, s/n, 04120, La Cañada, Almeria, Spain.
² University of Cordoba, Department of Business Organization, Faculty of Business and Law, Puerta Nueva Square, s/n, 14002, Cordoba, Spain.
³ University of Pablo de Olavide, Department of Business Organization and Marketing, Faculty of Business Studies, Carretera Utrera, Km.1, 41013, Seville, Spain.

PMID: 32321027
DOI: 10.1590/0001-3765202020190513

Abstract

To assist Ecuadorian chia seed producers in their quest for internationalisation. This article uses a case study to present a methodology which assists in the selection of the most suitable export market for a product. It is based on a diverse range of indicators grouped into 7 dimensions that were used to analyse the 27 member countries of the European Union in order to determine the most suitable export market for chia seeds from Ecuador. Germany is the biggest European importer of chia seeds with a 55% share, followed by the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Spain. It presents a methodology for market selection that can be employed as a tool for international expansion which can easily be used by companies in search of the most suitable export market for their products.