Ecommerce drivers and marketing partnerships in successful export marketing of Finnish born globals

Abstract

This study examines the utilization of ecommerce and marketing partnerships as part of born global internationalization strategies. The study will combine the existing literature of born global internationalization, export marketing strategies and ecommerce as part of internationalization to form an understanding on how two Finnish health and welfare sector born globals internationalize, and how ecommerce drivers affect their internationalization. Because of the explorative nature of the study, the research was conducted as a case study.

The main theoretical background consists of ecommerce and export marketing strategy research (Bell & Loane, 2010; Gregory et al., 2007; Karavdic & Gregory, 2005; Sinkovics et al., 2013), knowledge acquisition and export partnerships (Freeman et al., 2006; Gabrielsson & Gabrielsson, 2011; Khalid & Bhatta, 2015) and the most relevant research over export marketing strategy (Cavusgil & Zou, 1994; Leonidou et al., 2002; Zou & Cavusgil, 2002). The study also seeks to create understanding over the virtuality trap phenomena, first proposed by Yamin & Sinkovics in 2006. Combining the existing theories over born global internationalization, ecommerce and export marketing strategy a new model will be introduced to describe more accurately how different drivers, determinants and actors affect the export marketing strategy and finally the export venture performance of born globals.

Based on the research material several gaps were identified between earlier theories and the internationalization strategies of case companies. Research material indicate that both the ecommerce and export marketing strategy theories were not fully able to illustrate the complex nature of born global internationalization. Moreover, the partnership focus of the studies revealed some notions regarding the born globals’ internal determinants interdependency to sourced export marketing capabilities.