E-commerce provides many benefits to distribution efficiency. Therefore, it is expected that a better developed e-commerce infrastructure will strengthen the impact of market competitiveness, technology orientation of industry, and export market infrastructure on distribution efficiency. It is also expected that a developed e-commerce infrastructure will reduce the impact of legal / regulatory barriers to distribution efficiency.
The impact of export market competitiveness on price competitiveness is expected to be stronger when the product is transferable online, and when there is high demand for e-commerce usage since the ease of collecting and comparing information on the Internet regarding prices and costs creates an environment of greater transparency.
Research method and analysis
A cross-sectional research design was used. In-depth interviews with senior executives were conducted to test the overall validity of the theoretical framework and construct measures. The individual export venture, which is defined as the marketing of a specific product in a specific market, is the unit of analysis in the study. Data was collected using an online survey whose respondents were senior managers with experience and knowledge of a specific export venture. The sampling frame used for this study was the Australian Suppliers Directory, created by the Australian Trade Commission.
Potential explanatory variables are categorised into six constructs associated with export marketing strategy, internal and external environmental characteristics, e-commerce drivers and e-commerce utilisation. The initial measures were pre-tested by managers in companies that have successfully adopted electronic business practices, faculty members, and other marketing experts. Each item was reviewed for its content, scope and purpose. Exploratory analysis was conducted to test the validity and reliability of constructs. Moderated regression analysis was then used to test hypotheses developed during the literature review and exploratory research.