A three-month summary from our database: flows grew, orders shrank and Baltic visibility improved.
First: the number of European-origin shipments bound for the US grew by a low single-digit percentage over the quarter, despite the tariff noise. Second: the average shipment shrank, confirming the trend toward more frequent, smaller orders. Third: the share of the Baltic states in the categories we track grew markedly faster than the EU average, driven by wood and furniture components.
Among categories, packaging stood out: the sustainability wave fed the flows of cardboard and fiber packaging.
Multi-sourcing deepened: the share of buyers qualifying for a star grew noticeably over the quarter. In practice this means that US importers are deliberately splitting orders among several suppliers: the best possible environment for a new entrant.
The seasonal pattern was classic: August and September brought the wave of pre-orders for Christmas trade.
Q4 is traditionally the busiest of the year and January the quietest: use the quiet period for preparation, because February kicks off the season of the new year's sourcing rounds. Anyone who wants a quarterly review for their own category should write to us: we will build it from the data in a single day.
The first consultation is free: together we'll see who in the US already buys your product and how to reach them.