Journal of International Marketing

Whether international ventures can benefit from their marketing capability in emerging markets is a critical but underresearched issue. Drawing on the resource-based view (RBV), the authors propose that marketing capability can enhance international ventures’ new product performance. However, its effect is contingent on environmental forces (i.e., market uncertainty and technological turbulence) in the highly uncertain and turbulent environments of emerging markets. Using survey data of international ventures in high-tech industries in China, the authors find that marketing capability is less effective for new product development when firms face high levels of market uncertainty or technological turbulence. At that time, enhancing knowledge breadth represents a critical strategic solution to address the decreased efficacy of marketing capability in driving innovation.

There is no intensive review available of research at the interface of international marketing and entrepreneurship. This article systematically logs and organizes the subject matter and provides research suggestions. An organizing framework with three main dimensions—international marketing, the nature of marketing, and entrepreneurship—guides the literature review, which relies on a full search of articles relevant to international marketing and entrepreneurship published in academic journals over the past two decades (1997–2016). The study adopts a qualitative research approach to analyze 169 articles that meet the definitions of both international marketing and entrepreneurship research. Nine research types emerge at the intersection of international marketing and entrepreneurship research, and the study examines the theoretical and empirical trends of each type. A promising avenue for future studies would be cross-cultural comparative research on the individual–opportunity nexus in marketing across countries. More mixed-method and longitudinal research designs are also welcomed. The authors conclude by offering suggestions for future interdisciplinary research.

By investigating gendered shopping styles across countries, the authors explore whether the differences between male and female shopping styles are greater than the differences in shopping styles exhibited by consumers across countries. With a conceptual model, this study tests an extant convergence hypothesis that predicts that men and women should grow more similar in their shopping styles as traditional gender-based divisions in wage and domestic labor disappear. The results of a survey of shopping behavior across 11 countries indicate though that men and women are evolutionarily predisposed to different shopping styles. These differences in shopping styles also are greater in countries with higher levels of gender equality. Empathizing, or the ability to tune in to others’ thoughts and feelings, mediates shopping styles more for women; systemizing, or the degree to which a person possesses spatial skills, mediates shopping styles more for men. These results suggest that gender-based retail segmentation is more strategically relevant than country-based segmentation. The authors discuss the implications of their findings for international marketing theory and practice.

Human beings have always coveted beautiful objects, but the desire to look good is reaching new heights worldwide. Although the pursuit of beauty appears universal, industry evidence suggests that it is particularly strong in Asia. This research examines the effect of culture on the pursuit of beauty. Three studies provide converging evidence that interdependent self-construal increases the likelihood of using appearance-enhancing products. Study 1 operationalizes culture through nationality and self-construal and shows that Easterners (more interdependent) are more likely to use appearance-enhancing products than Westerners (less interdependent). This use is driven by interdependents’ tendency to conform to societal norms, which in turn leads to heightened self-discrepancy (Study 2). The use of appearance-enhancing tools helps minimize this discrepancy. Study 3 shows that strength of norms moderates the impact of interdependence on the use of appearance-enhancing tools. When norms are loosely defined and adherence is not strictly enforced, interdependents’ appearance enhancement tendency is reduced. This research offers actionable insights into the pursuit of beauty, marketing of beauty brands, policy making, and consumer well-being.

Cross-cultural studies indicate the importance of service quality and loyalty in different nations, but they do not specify how cultural context affects the relationships between such constructs. The current research investigates whether mall service quality and its specific dimensions affect loyalty, as well as how cultural contexts moderate the relationships between these constructs in three developing countries (Morocco, Senegal, and Tunisia). With a sample of 750 real customers, the authors show that mall service quality and its specific dimensions affect customer loyalty through the positive mediation of customer satisfaction and mall perceived value. Depending on the country, service quality dimensions (mall physical aspects, reliability, problem solving, and personnel attention) have distinct effects on customer loyalty. Furthermore, mall service quality drives customer loyalty positively in Morocco and Senegal. Customer satisfaction has a positive effect on customer loyalty in Senegal and Tunisia. Due to their different cultural contexts, these three developing countries do not exhibit a homogeneous pattern.