Findings and Managerial Implications
The findings from this study supplement the existing literature and offer a more contemporary explanation of how companies are expanding their selling activities internationally using e-commerce technologies. The study highlights several e-commerce factors that have a significant influence on the export marketing strategy-export performance relationship. The results of this study provide strong support for the contingency approach which incorporated the moderating effects of e-commerce utilisation to gain a greater understanding of the effects of export marketing strategy on export performance.
The study revealed that e-commerce utilisation has a moderating effect on the relationship between export marketing strategy and export performance. Consistent with past findings, this study found that marketing strategy variables (product adaptation, communication efficiency, promotion adaptation, distribution support, distribution efficiency, and price competitiveness) and internal determinants (firm competence and management commitment), have a direct, positive, and significant impact on export performance. When e-commerce utilisation is incorporated in these relations as a moderator, the relationship between product adaptation, communication efficiency, distribution efficiency, international competence, and management commitment on export performance is strengthened. However, e-commerce utilisation does not moderate the relationship between promotion adaptation, distribution support and price competitiveness on export performance.
Internal and external e-commerce drivers were investigated to determine their moderating effects on the environmental forces-export marketing strategy relationship. It was found that a firm’s e-commerce drivers have a significant role in developing export marketing strategy. For example, a firm’s e-commerce assets and product online transferability were found to critically affect its ability to pursue certain marketing strategies and successfully manage the international marketing mix. The findings show that e-commerce investments help to build an e-commerce infrastructure that allows for flexibility and effectiveness in successfully pursuing export business opportunities and provides a competitive advantage. It was found that demand for e-commerce from overseas partners is also very important.
There are several important implications from the study.
First, exporters that utilise e-commerce in their export operations are able to shorten the time of product introduction and presentation, and in some cases enjoy the benefits of direct distribution to the end user.