Marketing Standardization and Speed to Market in International Markets: The Moderating Role of Market Orientation

The objective of this study is to explore the relationship between marketing standardization and speed to market in the context of international markets. Speed in new product development and introduction is a major source of improved financial and market performance in international markets. However, very few studies have explored this issue within international contexts. As far as global new products are concerned, much of the evidence regarding speed to market of new products remains anecdotal. In this study, I attempt to explore how international marketing strategy affects speed to market in international markets. In addition, I consider the moderating effect of market orientation on the relationship between international marketing strategy and speed to market. I examined the hypothesized relationship using survey data collected from 180 Korean exporters. Consistent with our hypotheses, marketing standardization has a significant impact on speed to market of new products in international markets while the moderating effect of market orientation on the focal relationship is also positive and significant. This study advances our understanding of speed to market by exploring the crucial role of international marketing strategy and market orientation of a firm in enhancing speed to market of new products in the context of international markets.