The Impact of Timeliness in New Product Development and International New Product Rollout on International New Product Launch Performance: An Examination of Moderating Influences

This study examines the relationship between on-time completion of (or timeliness in) new product development (NPD) and international new product rollout (INPR) and international new product launch outcome. Data obtained from a survey of 232 NPD projects found that products developed within planned time frames are more likely to be rolled out into multi-markets on-time, resulting in higher levels of performance than when NPD completion is delayed. The findings also indicate that the positive effects of timeliness in NPD and INPR on international new product performance are contingent on external market conditions. Specifically, the favorable impact of NPD timeliness on international new product performance is strengthened when products are launched in more intensely competitive market environments. In addition, the results show that the positive impact of NPD timeliness on international new product launch success is stronger when new products are launched in markets where technology change is high. However, competitive intensity did not affect the positive impact of INPR timeliness on international new product performance. Although the proposed hypothesis expects that, for international new product launch success, the parameter of INPR timeliness would be greater for high technological change than for low technological change, the results show that the positive impact of INPR timeliness on international new product launch success is stronger when new products are launched in markets where technology change is low.