Georgia Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in georgia, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Selling Factors & Techniques
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Overview

American goods enjoy an excellent reputation. Price is usually the consumer’s principal factor in purchasing decisions. Local entrepreneurs often request concessionary payment terms or credit. American exporters should be wary of extending credit before establishing a long and satisfactory trading history with a customer, as well as limiting exposure. Cash in advance or the use of irrevocable letters of credit through a reputable local correspondent bank is advised. Enforcement of contractual rights by the local court system remains uneven.

Trade Promotion and Advertising

The Advertising Law sets advertising standards in Georgia. Advertisements must be in Georgian, and trademarks in a foreign language need to be accompanied with Georgian text. Pharmaceutical and medical equipment advertising requires a permit from the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Social Affairs. Advertising of firearms—including firearms used for sport—requires special permission from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Alcohol and cigarette advertising is also subject to restrictions in the Advertising Law. Municipalities supervise and monitor compliance with the Advertising Law.

There are several advertising agencies in Georgia, but businesses usually contact television, press, and radio advertising agencies directly.

Georgia has a wide variety of media outlets that express a wide variety of views. The state funds Tbilisi-based Georgian Public Broadcaster and Batumi-based Adjara TV. There are also commercial television broadcasters including: Imedi, Mtavari (online), Rustavi 2, Pirveli TV, Formula, Maestro, Kavkasia, PalitraTV, Georgian Dream Studios (GDS), PosTV, and a small Russian-language operator TOK TV. Imedi, Maestro, and GDS are part of IMEDI media holding. IPN, Palitra TV, and Ambebi.ge are part of Palitra Media Holding. The Georgian Orthodox Church also operates a satellite-based television station called Unanimity. There are over 26 regional television broadcasters across Georgia that are members of the Georgian Association of Regional Broadcasters and/or the Alliance of Georgian Broadcasters.

The major newspapers and tabloids include Kviris Palitra, Kviris Qronika, and Resonansi. Georgia Today, The Messenger, and the Georgian Journal are English language publications. Major online publications of note include Indigo, Tabula, Batumelebi, Publika, and Southern Gates [in Georgian-Armenian Samkretis Karibche – SKNews], Netgazeti [in Georgian-Russian], Interpressnews, OC Media [in English-Russian], Accents, ghn.ge, Civil.ge, On.ge, Jnews [in Armenian-Georgian-Russian], iFact.ge [in Georgian-English], Studio Monitor, BM.ge, DFWatch, JamNews, EuropeTime, and MtisAmbebi.

Pricing

Because of limited consumer purchasing power, price is the primary factor driving sales. In a sector where American exporters do not enjoy a technological advantage, there is significant price competition from low-cost suppliers in China, Türkiye, Iran, and East Asia. Imports of taxable goods and taxable operations at every stage are subject to an 18 percent VAT.

Sales Service/Customer Support

A growing number of official distributors and individual retailers offer delivery and installation services, as well as issue their own warranties on big-ticket items, usually for up to one or two years. American firms entering the Georgian market should consider the logistics of supporting their products in-country.

Local Professional Services

There are number of private consulting firms that offer market research or legal support to foreign companies. The Political and Economic Section of the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi offers a range of assistance to U.S. firms interested in developing market opportunities or increasing their business in Georgia.

Principal Business Associations

Several business associations operate in Georgia and some accept U.S. company members. Business associations in Georgia include the American Chamber of Commerce in Georgia, Georgian Chamber of Industry and Trade, Georgia Business Association, and International Chamber of Commerce. Contact the organizations directly to determine membership eligibility requirements. Some of the business organizations regularly meet with the Prime Minister as part of the Prime Minister’s Investor’s Council (IC) to discuss issues that are concerning to the business community.

Limitations on Selling U.S. Products and Services

No limitations known.

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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