Don't discount everything at once
The reflex when orders slow down is to cut prices across the board to keep volume moving. That usually does more damage than the downturn itself — once a buyer gets a lower price, getting them back to the old one later is nearly impossible. A better approach: hold the line on your best-selling, highest-margin grades, and discount only the slower-moving pack sizes or the stock that's closer to its use-by window. That protects the margin on what's actually driving revenue while still clearing what needs to move.
Spreading risk across markets instead of one
An export business built around one or two buyer countries feels every currency swing and every local slowdown directly. Adding even one or two smaller markets — even at modest volume — cushions that. It doesn't need to happen overnight; a single new buyer tested at a small order size is enough to start, and it gives you somewhere else to sell to if a bigger market goes quiet.
Payment terms matter more than usual
In a tighter economy, buyers ask for longer payment terms more often, and it's tempting to say yes to keep the order. Before agreeing, check what that actually costs — thirty extra days on payment is thirty days your own suppliers and staff still need paying on the usual schedule. A partial deposit upfront, even a modest one, protects cash flow without turning away the order entirely.
What to actually fix
Recurring costs that don't touch product quality — a courier contract that hasn't been renegotiated in years, packaging bought at a rate no longer competitive — are the first place to look for real savings. Cutting corners on grading or storage conditions is not; that shows up in complaints and returns faster than the saving is worth.
For sourcing and pricing reference during a tighter market, see our notes on Medjool pricing and on local versus imported kurma. For current export terms, get in touch directly.