Final answer:
Export marketing involves an understanding of the target market, market research, identifying market potential, and product design decisions, but not directly reaching retail customers as it deals with foreign markets and often relies on in-market partners.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question revolves around export marketing and the aspects that are not required for its successful implementation. Export marketing necessitates a comprehensive understanding of the target market environment, the use of marketing research, identification of market potential, and decisions concerning product design.
However, unlike local retail marketing, it does not typically involve direct interactions with retail customers, especially in the initial stages. This is because export marketing generally deals with distributing products to foreign markets, where local retailing might be handled by in-market partners or distributors.
In the context of global competition and the availability of business-to-business (B2B) websites, the reach to retail customers is quite indirect, as these platforms enable suppliers and buyers to connect globally, transcending local retail frameworks. Therefore, the correct answer is E) reaching retail customers, which is not a direct requirement for export marketing.