The relationship between product adaptation and export performance: A research on the furniture, ready-to-wear, and leather sectors

Product adaptation can be defined as the firms' coherent and planned activities aimed at meeting customers' needs, choices, and values in the targeted markets. Export performance is seen as a first step in the firms' decisions about their activities in the international markets. In addition, the export performance is taken as a measure of achievement in the export activities. The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between product adaptation and export performance. In this study, we construct a model demonstrating the relationship between product adaptation and export performance through an empirical analysis of firms' product adaptations and export performances in furniture, ready-to-make, and leather sectors in Turkey. The estimation of the model is performed using PASWStatistics20 program. Data are analyzed through descriptive statistics, chi-square test, and regression method. According to our findings, there exists a positive and significant relationship between product adaptation and export performance. That is, the product adaptation increases export performance. Keywords: Product Adaptation, Product Adaptation Strategy, Export Performance