How to Use Trade Intelligence Data to Find Suppliers and Buyers

How Customs Shipment Data Works

When goods cross international borders, customs declarations record the exporter, importer, product (HS code), quantity, value, and ports. Trade intelligence platforms like Volza aggregate and index this data so it can be searched by company name, product, or country. This is government-sourced data — not web scraping or self-reported directories — which makes it more reliable for verifying actual trading activity. Because the data originates from official customs filings, a supplier that appears in the records has demonstrably shipped the product. This is a meaningfully different standard from directory listings, which are self-reported and often outdated.

Using Trade Data to Find New Suppliers

The supplier discovery workflow starts with a product name or HS code search in the target exporting country. This returns a list of companies that have exported the product, with shipment volumes, destination markets, and shipment dates. From this list, filter for suppliers who already export to your country or region — this confirms they have experience with your import regulations and logistics. Check shipment consistency: a supplier who shipped regularly over two to three years is more reliable than one who shipped once. Shortlist by volume and consistency, then use available contact data to initiate outreach. This process is faster and more verifiable than cold prospecting from trade directories or Google searches, and it surfaces suppliers that most buyers never find through conventional channels.

Using Trade Data to Find Export Buyers

Buyer discovery works in the opposite direction. Search for companies that import your product category in a target country. The platform returns a list of importers ranked by shipment volume and recency. From this list, identify companies that are actively importing from competitors — these are qualified buyers who have already made the decision to source your product type. Companies that import regularly and in volume are more likely to respond to outreach than cold contacts from business directories, because their purchasing intent is already demonstrated by their shipment history. Build the outreach list from verified active importers, personalise around their known import activity, and prioritise companies where shipment data shows recent or growing volumes.

Monitoring Competitor Supply Chains

Competitor supply chain monitoring uses inbound shipment records to track where competitors source their products. Search a competitor's company name and filter for inbound shipments in your market. The results show which suppliers the competitor uses, the volume and frequency of those shipments, and any changes in sourcing patterns over time. If a competitor has recently changed supplier or significantly increased order volumes, this shows up in the shipment data before it becomes visible in their product or pricing changes. Identifying that a competitor shares your supplier is also a useful risk signal — it means a disruption to that supplier affects both businesses simultaneously. Monitoring competitor sourcing on a quarterly basis gives early warning of strategic supply chain moves that would otherwise take months to become apparent through market observation.