Volume 17, Number 1 • January 2000

Dialog Delivers Trade Statistics Data on the Web

In developing TradStat Web, Dialog has re-engineered the original TradStat service, established for many years as the most comprehensive, one-stop shop for reliable, online trade data, according to the announcement. Dialog says the service is an essential point of reference for organizations researching the potential of overseas markets.

Data may be accessed either by conducting a specific search or by opting to receive automated alerts when new data is available. The functionality offered by TradStat offers the user the following abilities: viewing import/export figures for countries ranging from Argentina to Zambia; assessing market share, tracking competition, and identifying potential trade partners; monitoring trends in trade flows and price fluctuations; and tracking the movements of products around the globe.

In addition to this, new functionality for TradStat Web includes the following: continuous updating to offer superior levels of timeliness when compared to CD-ROM and hard copy sources; the ability to e-mail reports to colleagues; use of a built-in foreign-exchange calculator; the ability to create personalized regions of interest to the user; and an online bulletin board providing news of new data coming online.

By migrating the service to the Web and introducing a new, easy-to-use interface, Dialog says it is able to widen the potential audience for TradStat content as well as provide an enhanced offering to its existing customer base, which includes retailers, management, and financial consultants, and governments from around the globe.

“TradStat Web provides instant access to official trade data from the Department’s U.K. Tariff and Statistical Office,” said Sue Rushman, public relations manager at the U.K. Trade Statistics Office. “Not only does the new Web-based product offer the user an intuitive interface, but also the search engine is powerful enough to find practically any information required and display it in a variety of units and formats.”

HM Customs and Excise provides U.K. trade information to The Dialog Corp. and supports the TradStat service. The service offers official figures from many governments around the world, and Dialog has committed to further enhancing the service by increasing the range of world trade data available via TradStat Web, according to the announcement.

“[TradStat Web] can immediately provide a detailed picture of an entire industry across many market sectors, help organizations to identify potential threats, and pinpoint new target markets,” said Eric Goldstein, senior vice president of business affairs and content for The Dialog Corp. “The business benefits are far-reaching not just for global companies, but also for small- and medium-sized businesses, for whom a worldwide market is now, a real possibility thanks to e-commerce.”

Source: The Dialog Corp., Cary, NC, 919/462-8600; Fax: 919/468-9890; http://www.dialog.com.

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