I am certain that stores that imported games would see what games were covered in MAINSTREAM gaming magazines of the day (so, sadly, NOT TurboPlay, but EGM/GamePro/Game Fan/VG&CE, etc.) and try to obtain titles...coverage in mainstream mags drove interest.
Also, popular existing game/anime franchises were always targets.
I can't tell you how many times I dreamed of getting "import" games back in the day, starting with NES/Famicom.
I recall an interview of some type with Victor Ireland where he had that listed as his #1 game of all time.