Global export survey 2026

Help us fix what's actually breaking global trade.

We've raised funding to solve the biggest problems in global exports. Before we build further, we want to hear from the people who move goods every day: exporters, importers, forwarders, customs brokers, labs and trade-finance teams.

About 7 minutes. Most questions are a single tap.
Free platform access for every company that completes it.
Confidential. We only publish aggregated, anonymised findings.

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About you

So we can group answers by role, market and size.

Which best describes your role in trade?

Exporter / manufacturer Importer / buyer / distributor Freight forwarder / 3PL Customs broker Testing lab / compliance consultant Bank / trade-finance provider Other

Your job function

Company name

Your name

Work email

Phone / WhatsApp Optional

Country you are based in

Main product category

Main trade lanes Pick up to 3

India → EU India → US India → Middle East India → Africa China → EU / US South-East Asia → EU / US Latin America → EU / US Intra-EU Other

Company size (employees)

1–10 11–50 51–200 201–1,000 1,000+

Annual export / import value

Under $1M $1–5M $5–20M $20–100M $100M+ Prefer not to say

Shipments or files handled per month

1–5 6–20 21–100 101–500 500+

Your problems today

The part we care about most. Be blunt.

What are your 3 biggest problems right now? Pick up to 3

Document errors and rework Keeping up with regulations (CBAM, EUDR, PPWR, PFAS, REACH, FDA) Customs delays and queries Getting paid on time / working capital Buyer approvals and spec changes Chasing status across email and WhatsApp Test reports and certificates Freight cost and booking visibility Finding new buyers or markets Too many disconnected tools

Of those, which one costs you the most?

Hours per week your team spends on trade paperwork and follow-ups

Under 5 5–15 15–40 40–100 100+

How often is a shipment delayed by a document, data or approval issue?

Almost never 1 in 20 1 in 10 1 in 5 1 in 2 or more

What did your last serious delay or rejection cost?

Under $500 $500–5k $5k–25k $25k–100k $100k+ Don't know

How do you run trade operations today? Pick all that apply

Email WhatsApp / WeChat Excel / Google Sheets ERP (SAP, Tally, Odoo, NetSuite) Forwarder or carrier portals Customs filing software A dedicated trade platform Paper / physical files

How likely are you to change how you work in the next 12 months?

Not at all

12345

Actively looking

Your part of the trade

A few questions for your role only.

Choose your role in section 1 to see these questions.

Exporter / manufacturer

Where does an order most often go wrong?

Quote → order terms Spec or packaging changes Test reports / compliance Production readiness Booking freight Export docs and customs Payment collection

How do you handle a buyer-requested change today?

Email thread Revised PDF Inside our ERP Phone / WhatsApp, then update later No formal process

How do you finance shipments?

Own cash Bank LC Invoice discounting / factoring Export credit / pre-shipment loan Buyer advance We wait to be paid

Would you share one live order record with your buyer, forwarder and broker?

Yes Yes, if each sees only their part Not sure No

Importer / buyer

What proof do you most often lack from suppliers? Pick up to 3

Test reports Certificates of origin Sustainability / CBAM / EUDR data Packaging compliance (PPWR) Correct invoice and packing list Shipment status

How many active suppliers do you manage?

1–5 6–20 21–100 100+

How do you approve supplier changes?

Email Supplier portal Inside our ERP / PLM Calls and meetings No formal process

Would you offer better payment terms to a supplier whose records you could verify?

Yes Possibly No

Freight forwarder

What share of shipper documents need a correction?

Under 5% 5–15% 15–30% 30%+

How do booking requests reach you? Pick all that apply

Email WhatsApp Your portal Customer's TMS / ERP Phone

Biggest time sink per shipment

Chasing documents Re-keying data Amendments after booking Status updates to customers Rate and space checks

Would you work from a shared shipment record your customer controls?

Yes Only if it connects to our system Not sure No

Customs broker

What share of filings need a query back to the client?

Under 5% 5–15% 15–30% 30%+

Most common missing or wrong data Pick up to 3

HS code / classification Origin Valuation Product descriptions Licences / permits Regulatory data (CBAM, EUDR)

How do source documents reach you?

Email attachments Via the forwarder Client portal Shared drive Paper

Would a pre-checked, versioned document packet reduce your workload?

No difference

12345

Major reduction

Testing lab / compliance

How clear is the scope when a test or review request arrives?

Always clear Usually Often unclear Usually unclear

Which regulations generate the most requests? Pick up to 3

REACH PFAS PPWR CBAM EUDR RoHS FDA / food contact Other

How often is the same report re-sent or re-explained to different parties?

Rarely Sometimes Often On almost every job

Would you deliver findings straight into a client's trade record?

Yes Yes, with limits on who sees it Not sure No

Bank / trade finance

What slows a trade-finance decision most?

Proving the shipment happened Document discrepancies KYC / onboarding Buyer credit risk Manual review time

Typical time from application to funds

Under 48 hours 3–7 days 1–3 weeks 3+ weeks

Would you accept verified, timestamped trade records as supporting evidence?

Yes As a supplement Not sure No

Which products would you offer through a trade platform? Pick all that apply

Invoice discounting Supply-chain finance Pre-shipment finance LC / guarantees Trade credit insurance FX

Other

Describe your role in one line

AI tools and AI agents

An AI agent is software that carries out tasks for you, not just answers questions.

Does your team use AI tools at work today?

Daily Weekly Tried it Not yet Our company blocks it

How comfortable are you with AI-based tools in your trade operations?

Not at all

12345

Very comfortable

How much should an AI agent do in your business?

Nothing. I don't want AI agents Suggest only Draft work, I approve everything Handle routine work, I approve exceptions Run whole workflows within limits I set

Which tasks would you hand to an AI agent today? Pick all that apply

Reading and extracting data from documents Checking documents for errors before sending Drafting invoices and packing lists Tracking shipments and chasing updates Monitoring regulation changes Suggesting HS codes Replying to routine buyer / supplier queries Preparing finance applications Screening buyers and suppliers None

What would you need before trusting an AI agent? Pick up to 3

A human approves anything important A full audit trail It shows sources and reasoning Our data is never used to train models Proven accuracy Clear liability Works inside our existing tools

Your biggest concern about AI in trade

Wrong answers / mistakes Data privacy Losing control Cost Getting my team to use it Regulator or customer acceptance No concern

Your ideal solution

If we built exactly what you need, what would it do?

Pick the 3 things it must do Pick up to 3

One shared record per order for every party Create and check documents automatically Compliance checks for each market AI agents that run routine follow-ups Live shipment tracking Faster access to trade finance Buyer / supplier approvals with history Connect to our ERP and email Find buyers or suppliers

How would you prefer to use it?

Web app Mobile app Inside WhatsApp / email Inside our ERP No preference

What would you pay per month if it solved your top problem?

Nothing Under $100 $100–500 $500–2,000 $2,000+ I'd prefer per-shipment pricing

Working with us

Nothing here is binding. It tells us who wants to build this with us first.

Would you join a free pilot?

Yes, as soon as possible Yes, within 3 months Maybe, show me a demo first No

Would you sign a short, non-binding letter of intent to use Truo Trade?

Yes Maybe, after a demo No

Are you the decision-maker for a tool like this?

Yes I influence the decision No, someone else decides

Which partners would you bring with you? Pick all that apply

Buyers Suppliers Forwarder Customs broker Lab Bank None yet

Can we contact you for a 20-minute call?

Yes Email only No

In your words

Two lines is plenty.

If you could fix one thing in your export or import process tomorrow, what would it be?

Describe your last costly mistake or delay. Optional

Anything else we should know? Optional

Truo Trade may contact me about this research and the free access offer. My answers stay confidential; only aggregated, anonymised findings are shared. Privacy notice. Send me a copy of the findings.

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