39% of companies say they've delayed entering a new market because of regulatory uncertainty. 14% have abandoned a market entry plan altogether.

We talk to exporters and brand teams every week, and the pattern holds: it's rarely the product that trips people up. It's one of three things.

• Regulation — certification, labelling, import rules that shift after you've already committed budget
• Pricing — guessing what the market will actually pay, then finding out at the shelf
• Distribution — having a great product with no real way to get it in front of buyers

Every market we've looked at breaks differently. Sometimes it's a certification nobody flagged. Sometimes the price was never tested against local willingness to pay. Sometimes the product was fine and the channel just wasn't there.

So: which one has cost you the most time or money — regulation, pricing or distribution? Curious to see where the pain actually sits for this group.

Sources

• CFO.com / Avalara — Survey highlights ‘unpredictability of change’ in global trade (2025)

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