Regional Insights from North America, March 2021

Confidence is growing in North America as we get closer to things returning to normal over the summer period, with the USA hitting daily records of three million vaccinations a day and the FDA approving more applications for treatment.

New Zealand companies are exhibiting this confidence through a clear focus on taking charge of their US market entry strategy. This is reflected in a global trend by Bloomberg that reported a 77% year-on-year bump in online “micro-sellers” as well as Shopify usage growing 70% over 2020.

We are seeing this charge led by the ever-growing NZTE presence in North America. The Made With Care influencer campaign has many eyes on New Zealand brands across the F&B space, Exports to the US have increased 18% in 2020, with the food sector – meat, horticulture, wine and chocolate in particular – all performing strongly.

Additional Covid-relief funding via NZTE is supporting Kiwi exporters in gaining helpful market insights and influential data to support their strategic direction. This has been reflected in market acceleration and has been another valuable amplification for New Zealand companies in the US.