Standardisation and adaptation of firms' export marketing strategies in familiar European and non-familiar non-European markets

Abstract

Our study investigates the relationships between export market experience (internal contingency factor), competitive intensity (external contingency factor), marketing strategy adaptation and export success of Austrian SMEs. Drawing from contingency theory, we develop a conceptual model and test it with a sample of 115 Austrian SMEs. After splitting the sample into familiar European countries and unfamiliar non-European countries including CEE countries, we found a negative relationship between product adaptation and sales growth and profitability in non-European and CEE countries, and a positive relationship between product adaptation and profitability in familiar European countries. Our results demonstrate that promotion adaptation has a positive effect on sales growth and profitability in both subsamples: European countries and non-European countries including CEE countries.