Choosing your role
Manufacturer, exporter, importer, distributor, or retailer — which one describes your business.
When you sign up, you pick one of five business roles. The role describes where your business sits in the supply chain.
- Manufacturer — makes the product.
- Exporter — ships the product out of the country where it was made. Often also the manufacturer.
- Importer — brings the product into the United States.
- Distributor — moves the product between the importer and the point of sale.
- Retailer — sells the product to the end customer.
Your role does not decide which compliance modules you see. Those come from the product categories on your company profile (see Setting up your organization profile) and from each product's own type.
TIP: An account holds one role. If your business does more than one of these things (many importers also distribute), pick the one that best describes your main business. Your role is shown on your Account page.