IMPONEXPO · THE IMPORTER'S WORLD

36 challenges.
One reason to keep working harder.

These are the importer challenge domains informing our work. They cover the journey from choosing a product to receiving it, resolving problems and planning the next purchase.

36 challenge domains

1. 01

   Market and Product Selection Risk

2. 02

   Supplier Discovery, Verification and Fraud

3. 03

   Pricing, MOQ, Negotiation and Contract Clarity

4. 04

   Samples, Specifications and Product Development

5. 05

   Quality Assurance and Inspection Failure

6. 06

   Customs Classification, Valuation and Origin

7. 07

   Import Licences, Standards and Product Compliance

8. 08

   Documentation Errors and Process Friction

9. 09

   Trade Finance and Working-Capital Pressure

10. 10

    Cross-Border Payments, Escrow and Payment Fraud

11. 11

    Currency and FX Volatility

12. 12

    Incoterms, Legal Responsibility and Risk Transfer

13. 13

    Freight, Routing and Logistics Disruption

14. 14

    Port, Customs Clearance, Demurrage and Detention

15. 15

    Cargo Insurance, Loss, Damage and Claims

16. 16

    Warehousing, Inventory and Domestic Distribution

17. 17

    Landed Cost, Duties, Taxes and Profit Erosion

18. 18

    Returns, Disputes and After-Sales Problems

19. 19

    Sanctions, Restricted Parties and AML Exposure

20. 20

    Forced Labour, ESG and Supply-Chain Due Diligence

21. 21

    Geopolitics, Tariffs and Policy Shocks

22. 22

    Data, Cybersecurity and Digital Fraud

23. 23

    Technology Fragmentation and Low Digital Readiness

24. 24

    People, Governance and Internal Capability Gaps

25. 25

    Anti-Dumping, Countervailing and Trade-Remedy Duties

26. 26

    Intellectual Property, Counterfeits and Parallel Imports

27. 27

    Perishables, Cold Chain and Shelf-Life Integrity

28. 28

    Hazardous Materials and Dangerous Goods

29. 29

    Packaging, Labelling and Environmental Compliance

30. 30

    Reverse Logistics, Recalls and Product Withdrawal

31. 31

    Last-Mile and Final-Delivery Economics

32. 32

    Climate, Weather and Physical-Route Disruption

33. 33

    Broker, Forwarder and Service-Provider Dependency

34. 34

    Data Localization, Privacy and Cross-Border Information Flows

35. 35

    De Minimis Thresholds and E-Commerce Import Shifts

36. 36

    Supplier Financial Distress and Continuity Risk

Based on Imponexpo's Importer Challenges and Practical Solutions — Expanded & Extended Edition, June 2026. This is a map of problems, not a claim that every challenge has already been solved.