What’s so Interesting About Turkey?

September 24th, 2008 Alina Posted in News |

After reading about the challenges of marketing your business in Turkey, I am sure a lot of you wonder why try so hard on this new market? Believe me, the reasons are quite compelling. The Turkish market is quite attractive for a wide range of business fields and it has a strong position among the foreign markets.

Where’s Turkey on the European and World Business Maps?

Let’s start with Europe. Turkey is all of the following:

• First TV manufacturer
• First auto-car/bus manufacturer
• First iron and steel producer
• First automotive parts producer

I don’t know how tourism and services will rank after this year, but what I can tell you those planning to spend their vacation on the Turkish seaside start planning and making reservation this month for next year.
Globally, Turkish business accomplishments are as impressive:

• Sixth cement producer
• Second flat glass producer
• Second jewelry exporter
• Sixth clothing exporter

And when it comes to jewelry and cloths, I can tell from personal experience that the beauty, quality and price of these products will sweep you off your feet.

The Star of the Turkish Economy

From all of these attractive business fields, there is one who definitely stands out: IT&C. Adoption rate of everything tech by both home users and business customers is indeed impressive and it yields significant numbers and increases in market volume. Going from a total of USD 24 billion (a 14.8& increase compared to the previous year) in 2007 to an estimate of 26 billion this year, information technologies and communication technologies are where the focus of all foreign eyes goes. No wonder Cebit Bilisim Eurasia, organized in Istanbul, is one of the greatest IT&C events of the year from the whole Eurasia region.

If you need more reasons to find this field attractive, here are some more numbers:

• Over 35% of increase per year in computer sales
• Over 59 million GSM subscribers
• Over 19 million internet users
• 30 TV channels at the national level, 250 at the local level
• E-Government in expansion

To be Successful, You’ll Need to Innovate

When it comes to marketing and doing business, Turkish companies and their representatives are no rookies. They’ve experimented it all. According to ClicZ magazine, an online magazinespecialized in digital marketing, Turkey is a mobile marketing innovator. Then again, with 59 million people to market to, it all seems a natural development. From local bank Finansbank to world renowned brand Pepsi, they’ve all experimented in this field.

And as we are dedicated to help you succeed in any market you’d choose, we’ll follow up on this article with tips and tricks regarding business etiquette in Turkey and more marketing advice.

*All data regarding the Turkish economy and industries is taken from a Cebit Bilisim presentation and has been updated in the first half of 2007