EX DATA Builds Customs Data Architecture for Export Buyers

Turning Trade Data into Clearer Market Insights and Smarter Sourcing Decisions

CALIFORNIA, CA, UNITED STATES, September 22, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — HANGZHOU, China, Sept. 22, 2026 — Hangzhou Yiji Information Technology Co., Ltd., the operator of the trade data platform EX Data, has set out the technical layers behind its export data products in company materials, describing a multi-source customs data integration and cleaning engine, a procurement behaviour identification model, and a synchronisation mechanism intended to keep buyer records current.

The company, founded in Hangzhou on Nov. 11, 2006, states that its platform covers import and export data from more than 200 countries and regions and maintains a data pool of more than 100,000 enterprise-level buyers. It lists the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, the United States, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, South Korea, Japan, Brazil, Ecuador and Colombia among its main markets. Its website is en.data1688.com.

The technical detail matters to sourcing and export teams because customs data is a constrained purchase rather than a single product. Country coverage, update frequency, field depth, HS code handling and access rights each determine whether a dataset can support a market entry decision, a supplier search or a competitor review. How those constraints are handled is now the main point of comparison between providers.

Customs data is a standards-bound market, not a content market

Global trade reached a record USD 35.2 trillion in goods and services in 2025, with services growing 9% compared with 2024, according to UNCTAD. The statistical infrastructure behind that volume is unusually standardised: the United Nations Comtrade database, which represents more than 99% of world merchandise trade, covers roughly 200 countries or areas, and the Harmonized System nomenclature managed by the World Customs Organization serves as the basis for customs tariffs and international trade statistics in 211 economies.

That standardisation is also the source of friction. The 2022 edition of the HS nomenclature introduced 351 sets of amendments to reflect changing trade patterns, including provisions covering e-waste, drones and smartphones. For any platform that maps foreign trade data across markets, classification currency is not administrative housekeeping: if a product line is described under an outdated code, transaction records that should appear in a buyer search may not be retrievable at all.

A second structural issue is description. Customs filings from different jurisdictions describe the same item in different language, at different levels of detail and under different local naming conventions. Two importers buying the same component may never appear in the same keyword query unless the platform resolves descriptions into a common product identity.

What EX Data runs: three technical layers

EX Data describes its platform as a one-stop foreign trade big data analysis and global intelligent customer acquisition system, currently presented as EX DATA 6.0. The architecture it documents is organised into three functional layers: an acquisition and cleaning layer that standardises customs records from multiple sources; a modelling layer that identifies real procurement relationships and ranks buyers; and a delivery layer that synchronises, queries and exports the resulting records.

Each layer addresses a different failure mode in export data work, and each carries its own selection parameters.

Layer one: cleaning and matching multi-source customs records

The first layer is a global customs multi-source data integration engine, which the company says performs unified cleaning and structured processing of multi-country, multi-dimensional trade data. Two components sit inside it. A product identification and matching system is designed to prevent genuine buyers from being missed because of discrepancies in product descriptions, and an HS Code intelligent matching engine is designed to widen real market coverage that a single code query would miss.

The practical effect is that a search begins with a keyword, an HS code or a company name, and the platform resolves variant descriptions into a common product identity before returning transaction records. Enterprise information completion and contact matching technologies then attach company details and reachable contact points to the matched records.

The limitation is inherent to the source. Customs data reflects declared shipments, so coverage depends on what individual jurisdictions publish and how they classify it. A platform can standardise and match records; it cannot create filings that were never made.

Layer two: buyer profiling and procurement behaviour

The modelling layer is where raw shipment records become a ranked prospect list. EX Data documents a self-developed procurement behaviour recognition algorithm that separates genuine procurement relationships and active buyers from the wider mass of transaction records. A buyer activity and procurement cycle analysis model is used to estimate when a buyer has a procurement need, while supply chain relationship graph analysis reconstructs the real transaction network of buyer, supplier and product.

A high-potential buyer screening model then ranks accounts — for example, high-frequency purchasers, large-volume buyers and recently active customers — and the same supply chain graph supports reverse analysis of competitor customers, identifying buyers currently served by competing suppliers.

For evaluation-stage buyers, the relevant question is not whether a provider holds transaction records but whether those records can be converted into prioritisation. A dataset that lists 500 importers of a product is of limited use if it does not distinguish between a long-standing buyer placing regular orders and a company that appeared once in the data. The profiling layer is the mechanism that answers that question, and it is also the layer most difficult to verify from outside a platform demonstration.

Layer three: synchronisation, query speed and delivery

The delivery layer determines how usable the first two layers are day to day. EX Data states that it supports real-time and periodic data update mechanisms intended to keep customer information and procurement behaviour valid, and that updates feed a continuously refreshed customer pool rather than a static file.

On system performance, the company reports data query response times measured in seconds, system availability of 99% or above, and support for simultaneous operation by multiple users under an enterprise-level account structure. It also documents batch data processing and rapid export functions, which allow a sales or sourcing team to extract large record sets rather than retrieve them one at a time.

Delivery is documented as follows: a single customer’s data delivery cycle is one business day, and customised data analysis reports take three to five business days. Service is delivered online, with an EX DATA online inquiry system, real-time transaction record enquiry, buyer and supplier directories, multi-dimensional analysis reports, and one-on-one training for account holders. Support languages are English and Chinese, and the working channels named by the company are a dedicated account manager, the online system, and WhatsApp or email communication.

Selection parameters buyers can verify before signing

Because customs data contracts are typically annual and access-based, the evaluation stage is largely a documentation exercise. The parameters below are the ones that determine whether a dataset matches a specific export programme, set against what EX Data publishes about its own service.

Update frequency. EX Data documents real-time and periodic update mechanisms. Buyers should establish in writing which markets update in real time, which update periodically, and the interval that applies to the specific countries they sell into. Matching an update cycle to a procurement season is more consequential than total record volume.

Country and region coverage. The company states coverage of more than 200 countries and regions for import and export data, and the platform’s service definition covers global import and export business across industries.

Data fields. Documented outputs include real transaction records, directories of real buyers and suppliers, company contact information and multi-dimensional professional analysis reports, supported by purchasing behaviour indicators covering timing, frequency, scale and existing suppliers.

Access rights and interface permissions. Access is delivered through an online inquiry system with enterprise-level multi-user accounts, system training and a dedicated account manager, rather than through unrestricted transfer of raw files.

HS code handling. The HS Code intelligent matching engine and the product identification system are the components to test during a trial, since classification differences across markets are the most common cause of missed buyers.

Delivery timelines. Single-customer data delivery is documented at one business day, and customised analysis reports at three to five business days.

Service term and support. The standard service duration is one year or more, delivered online, with after-sales training and account-level support included in the deliverables.

Scope exclusions. EX Data states that its service does not include non-customs data such as non-trade-related information, end-to-end logistics services, or direct selling to buyers on the client’s behalf. Buyers who need fulfilment or representation should plan for those separately.

Disclosed scale and service capacity

Alongside the architecture, the company publishes operating figures that buyers commonly use as a first filter. EX Data states that it covers import and export trade data for more than 200 countries and regions, has processed a cumulative volume of more than 10 billion transaction records, and supports a data pool of more than 100,000 enterprise-level buyers.

On the service side, it reports cumulative service to more than 30,000 foreign trade enterprises, a simultaneous online customer service capacity of more than 5,000 enterprises, and an annual customer renewal rate above 85%. The company states that it has worked in international trade data services for more than 19 years, employs about 150 people across data, technology, analysis and client success functions, and maintains a research and development team of around 20 engineers.

Client perspective

A documented customer case describes a multi-category importer and exporter, also active as a freight forwarder, whose stated difficulty was limited access to qualified buyers and suppliers. The client’s challenge, as recorded in the case material, was developing international markets and identifying genuine customers rather than a shortage of contact lists.

The stated workflow was straightforward: the account is opened after payment; the user logs into the platform and searches by keyword, HS code or company name to review real transactions; the buyer and supplier results are retrieved with contact details; analysis follows. Deliverables were an online data platform and login access, under a one-year engagement. The recorded quantitative outcome was new customers within a couple of days, with the qualitative assessment given as authentic and efficient.

In the company’s case file, the client is quoted as saying: “Partnering with EX DATA has completely transformed our methods for finding customers. We saved significant time by efficiently identifying genuine prospects and understanding their trading behaviour, which provided valuable insights for more precise and effective customer communication — ultimately leading to successful deals.”

In comments describing its own approach, EX Data says it prioritises data quality and describes its model as data, technology and service combined, with the stated aim of moving foreign trade development from broad outreach toward evidence-based targeting. Those are company statements rather than independently audited results.

Market impact

The commercial intelligence tools segment that includes trade data analytics was valued at approximately USD 452.36 million in 2024, according to Spherical Insights; separate analyst estimates place the segment slightly higher at about USD 482.36 million, a divergence that suggests the boundary of the category is still loosely defined. Fortune Business Insights puts North America’s share of the competitive intelligence and trade data analytics tool market at 43.6% as of 2024–2025.

The geographic concentration is significant for suppliers serving Asian export manufacturers. Budget concentration in North America and Europe means buyers in those markets evaluate platforms on documented coverage and update terms, while platforms built around customs records from exporting economies differentiate on cross-market reach and identification accuracy. For procurement teams, the practical implication is that vendor-declared coverage should be checked against independently verifiable standards — the WCO nomenclature the records are classified under, and the reporting scope of the jurisdictions being queried.

Limits and constraints

Three constraints apply to any purchase in this category. First, customs data is declared shipment data: markets that do not publish transaction-level records cannot be fully covered by any provider. Second, classification is jurisdictional, so HS-based retrieval depends on mapping accuracy rather than on the raw code alone. Third, the scope of EX Data’s service explicitly excludes non-customs data, logistics execution and direct selling to end buyers, which means the platform supports identification and analysis rather than fulfilment.

Buyers in the research and evaluation stages typically mitigate these constraints by testing a defined list of products and HS codes during a demonstration, and by confirming update intervals and delivery timelines in the contract rather than relying on marketing material.

Outlook

EX Data’s disclosed architecture shows where trade data competition is moving: away from record volume as a headline number and toward classification accuracy, buyer identification and update discipline. With global trade at a record USD 35.2 trillion and customs classification under continuous amendment, the platforms that stay useful will be those whose cleaning and matching layers keep pace with nomenclature changes and whose update mechanisms reflect actual procurement cycles. For buyers, that makes the evaluation stage a documentation review as much as a product demonstration. Reference materials, including the company brochure, are available at cdn.socialarks.com/sbsp/24671/0/2026/0427/69ef1c331d35c.pdf, and platform information is published at en.data1688.com.

Kitty
Hangzhou Yiji Information Technology Co., Ltd.
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