The DHL Export Barometer has revealed that Australian businesses are confident exports will recover in 2022

The results of the annual DHL Export Barometer signal a strong recovery in Australian exports.
This year, 69 percent of Australian businesses surveyed believe that their export revenue is likely to increase over the coming 12 months, following a 19-year low of 47 percent in 2020.
Businesses highlight a range of reasons to expect growth, including increases in customer demand, sales and marketing, and the launch of new products or services. This optimism extends to plans to hire new staff (48 percent) and increase wages (57 percent).

COVID-19 impacts export revenue, but recovery expected in 2022
This year saw more businesses report growth in export orders, while a third (33 percent) recorded an increase in terms of revenue.
For businesses that experienced declining revenue in 2021, 59 percent expect it to return to pre-pandemic levels by end of 2022.

New export challenges, with increased cost of freight most highlighted
Increased freight costs impacted 65 percent of businesses, followed by supply chain issues such as a shortage of products or raw materials
(43 percent), and international travel restrictions (43 percent).
“International travel restrictions that created a shortage in airline cargo capacity in 2020 have created flow on effects to the cost of freight and the ability of exporters to visit business contacts and manufacturing facilities overseas,” DHL Express Australia Chief Executive Officer and Senior Vice President, Gary Edstein, said.
“The pandemic has proved how vital international connections are for sustaining global trade. Businesses with efficient growth strategies, considered target markets and the support of robust logistics networks such as DHL Express will continue to recover into 2022.”

Businesses concentrate on export markets, with North America now the main target
The most common export destinations included New Zealand (targeted by 58 percent of businesses), North America (52 percent), Europe (39 percent), and the UK (38 percent).
North America also this year took top position as the main export market, surpassing New Zealand which ranked first in past years.

More exporters use e-commerce to generate orders
In 2021, a record 82 percent of export businesses used e-commerce to generate sales. Looking to 2022, they will build on this by investing in online marketing (40 percent), followed by improvements to website design (34 percent), fulfilment and delivery (29 percent), and customer service (26 percent).

For more information, or to view the full report, visit www.dhl.com