Patterns of SME’s Marketing Mix Combinations and Their Characteristics in Export Markets

Standardization versus adaptation of the marketing mix strategy in foreign markets has been one of the key research areas in international marketing since the late 1960s. Based on the existing studies we have a broad understanding of factors having an effect on standardization and adaptation levels, and the implications of the marketing mix on performance. However, the findings in the field can be partly described as contradictory and fragmented. We suggest that adopting a configurational approach to marketing mix strategies would offer a richer description of the strategic options available. This would mean that the potential different combinations of marketing mix elements are taken into account, increasing the understanding of the holistic treatment of the marketing mix package. Based on a two-country sample of SMEs we identified five distinct patterns of marketing mix strategies, which also had implications for the performance.