ITnnov is a company that provides export opportunities to the UK for SMEs in the CEE region. Besides importation procedures and logistics, this company now also offers A.I. market research, digital marketing and assistance with entering UK wholesale chains
The UK’s major market players will reestablish themselves, but there is a window of opportunity for proactive companies. I don’t see why Serbian companies with great and competitive products shouldn’t be among the first to seize that opportunity, says Endre Tamas, MD of ITnnov, who was actually born in Subotica.
ITnnov began its life as a small team of professionals providing export opportunities for SMEs in the CEE region. What was the motivation behind such an enterprise?
We wanted to become a relevant UK importer by the time Brexit occurred.
This meant covering all the background operations and necessary integrations. ITnnov started out with legislation and logistics, but then saw an opportunity to develop into a one-stop solution for all export-import efforts. There was a clear need to expand our services. Aside from importation procedures and logistics, we now offer A.I. market research, digital marketing and assistance entering the UK wholesale chains.
What are your plans for the Serbian market?
I was born in Subotica and have been living in Europe and the UK for the past 22 years. My roots are naturally tied to my home country. Our team in the UK already represents one of the largest pharmaceutical companies from Serbia, and sales are growing rapidly.
We also work with medium-sized food producers and cosmetic companies. A new superfood supplier will be joining us from March 2022.
In terms of any company’s resources, A.I.’s main advantages are cost-efficiency and timeeffectiveness, precision and comprehensiveness
Future stages include the rubber, metal and agriculture sectors, where we are seeing extremely high demand. Brexit opened up a whole new chapter for UK imports. With new and favourable trade deals between Serbia and the UK already in place, now is the right time to expand to the UK market.
You rely heavily on your in-house developed market research. Why is it significant? Do you utilise any similar innovations?
The A.I.-based algorithm for market research is created by our lead developer, who holds a Ph.D. in machine learning. It has already scoured millions of pages of trading data and competition analyses. The A.I. doesn’t scrape data only when instructed. The process is ongoing, so we always have access to the latest information and trends. In terms of a company’s resources, A.I.’s main advantages are cost- and time-effectiveness, precision and comprehensiveness. These are essential when a company is deciding on export feasibility. The analyses we offer include a human factor – after all, we work for and with people. So, while we have tremendously automated menial tasks, we also apply our own expertise to consult on decisions and develop strategies. And this approach isn’t limited to market research.
Our other departments are highly datadriven, but there’s more to the story than mere numbers. The marketing department, for example, combines cutting-edge analytics with cultural sensitivity – and there are certainly cultural differences between the Balkan region and the UK that are often overlooked. Such professional experience is greatly enhanced by machine, but can’t be replaced by it. Well, not yet at least. With all these in place, the relevant information and foreign market representation are more precise and well-rounded – which means that ITnnov reduces exportation risks to a minimum.