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The purpose of this paper is to build on Steenkamp’s reflections, and introduce emerging and important developments that are shaping the global landscape and influencing global consumer culture (GCC) and global brands (GBs).

The paper is a thought piece.

The implications for GCC and GBs are discussed in the context of digital networked technologies, new brands from emerging markets and the digitally connected bottom of the pyramid consumers.

The paper suggests areas where research value can be added within the GCC and global branding literatures.

Aims to report on the approach used by the New Zealand Game Industry Board (NZGIB) to create a competitive advantage with channel buyers in the USA. This examination is in response to calls for research on international marketing strategy implementation in business markets. The NZGIB developed an innovative marketing program labeled “Cervena” to reposition commodity venison as an up‐market product sold through specialist restaurants.

An in‐depth case study of the Cervena approach was conducted. Data were gained through in‐depth interviews with key marketing staff. Interviews were supplemented with secondary data.

The findings identified the synergistic relationships between demand chain partners and end consumers. Tacit competitive advantages were built by adapting to channel requirements, leveraging established relationships, and drawing on aspirational imagery at the consumer level. Critically, no one part of the program could operate in isolation. Implementing such a strategy was difficult because of the failure to convert transactional relationships between farmers and their buyers into long‐term ones that provided greater certainty of supply and pricing. This illustrates both the benefits of networks and the need to adapt the implementation effort over time to ensure ongoing commitment to the relationship, and high quality market‐oriented outcomes.

This article provides a rare glimpse into international strategy implementation in industrial networks and suggests that such success will be contingent on initial strategic choices, adaptability, and supportive policies that reinforce market‐oriented values. Managers need to ensure adaptability within a relationship or network structure in order to consolidate initial competitive advantages and ensure ongoing buyer commitment.

This study aims to examine, which dynamic capabilities (DC) are used by companies from post-socialist emerging markets (PSEM) during their internationalization.

The paper uses a DC perspective together with the new internalization theory to examine the internationalization of companies from PSEM. It uses qualitative data from the interviews with 7 PSEM experts and the 16 cases of the multinational companies from PSEM.

PSEM companies develop particular DC while expanding abroad whereby innovation capability helps them internationalize beyond neighboring countries and overcome the stigma of being less competitive than advanced economies. Adaptability is the DC that helps private companies, which differ from state-owned PSEM firms, overcome the uncertainties of the changing environment. Innovation capability and absorptive capability help PSEM firms surmount their geographical position. Alliancing activity is the DC that is used at the initial stages of internationalization to boost technological development.

The study contributes to the body of knowledge on the internationalization of companies from transition economies and sheds light on the nature of DC for the successful international expansion of PSEM firms. It attempts to address the lack of empirical studies on DC. Methodological value is in the combination of case studies’ analysis and interviews with experts, which adds novelty to the studied subject.

This study aims to delve into the lived experiences, challenges and visions of women entrepreneurs in Jordan, placing a magnifying glass on those spearheading or co-pioneering start-ups. It aims to understand the myriad factors that influence their entrepreneurial journey, from motivation to the future of their niche.

Adopting a qualitative lens, this study is anchored in semi-structured interviews encompassing 20 Jordanian women entrepreneurs. Following this, thematic analysis was deployed to dissect and categorize the garnered insights into ten salient themes.

The study reveals that personal experiences and challenges are pivotal in directing these women towards niche markets, aligning with the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). Tools such as digital instruments, customer feedback and innovative strategies like storytelling and augmented reality are integral to their entrepreneurial success, resonating with the resource-based view (RBV). Additionally, challenges like cultural barriers and infrastructural limitations are navigated through adaptive strategies, reflecting the resilience inherent in these entrepreneurs. Networking, mentorship, embracing technological advancements and implementing sustainable practices are highlighted as crucial elements underpinned by the social identity theory (SIT).

Contrary to the extant body of research, this study provides new insights into the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in Jordan, highlighting the practical relevance of theories like TPB, RBV and SIT for both policymakers and the start-up community in niche markets.

The purpose of this research is to investigate the growing trend of the use of private labeling as a competitive strategy among fashion retailers. Specifically, how retailers differentiate and create niche markets within their own private label merchandise is examined. The study focuses on how retailers develop and expand their private label portfolios, while minimizing the risk of cannibalization.

The research methodology is an in‐depth case study design that is used to gather information from a selected sample of those retailers that participate in apparel private label product development.

Results indicate a strong use of a niche marketing strategy by retailers in the development and implementation phase of private labels. The strategy resulted in increased profits and market share.

The study is significant because it provides a framework for a globally competitive strategy that retailers can utilize in order to develop specialized, niche markets within their private label merchandise, while minimizing the risk of cannibalization.

There is a void in the current research literature relative to the use of a niche market strategy as a competitive strategy by the fashion retail industry, particularly when related to the development and marketing of private label merchandise.

To examine how companies in the maturity stage of the product life cycle can implement and maintain a successful niche market strategy to increase competitiveness in the face of new competition, with particular reference to the global textile industry.

Responsible executives in eight firms in the textile and apparel/clothing sector in the USA were interviewed face‐to‐face or by telephone, or completed an online questionnaire. The sample contains leaders in the industry.

Research results suggest that niche marketing is an effective strategy for countering price competition in a mature industry and can use a niche market strategy. They identify key success factors, the most important factor of which was found to be a thorough understanding of the targeted consumers. It is concluded that the marketing mix plays a more important part than is generally suggested in the literature, by communicating non‐price product attributes to the niche market.

The small sample limits generalization beyond the companies that participated in the study and comparable firms in the US textile and apparel/clothing industry.

This research study shows, within its limitations, that niche marketing is a promising global competitive strategy for mature industries. The study proposes practical guidelines for putting it into practice.

This study generally confirms the literature, but comes to some original further conclusions.

Uppsala internationalisation theory is highly utilised due to its simplicity and applicability. However, there are contrasting results on its assumption that firms follow a gradual internationalisation process. Literature shows that firm strategies (e.g. targeting a niche market) and firm resources (e.g. brand image and asset specificity) may decrease barriers of entry. Global fashion retailers possess these characteristics and may not follow a gradual internationalisation pattern. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to examine whether fashion retailers that target a niche market, have a strong brand image and asset specificity will follow a gradual internationalisation pattern suggested by Uppsala.

Two aspects of internationalisation (speed of internationalisation and market selection) were analysed. Market selection was measured by three aspects of distance (geographic distance, economic distance, and culture distance). Data were collected utilising secondary sources and internationalisation patterns were calculated using existing formulas.

Overall, results provided partial support for Uppsala model. After cautious expansion early in internationalisation, fashion retailers experience a period where rapid expansion exists. During initial internationalisation, geographically and economically close markets were chosen, which mirror the Uppsala model. However, no incremental patterns were observed thereafter. In addition, after initially moving to culturally close countries, firms moved to countries with close cultural proximity to each other rather than close to home market.

The findings are based on three cases of fast fashion retailers; thus, for further generalisation, if the findings will be applicable to other fashion firms which have different strategies and resources needs to be examined.

This study is one of the first attempts to research the applicability of Uppsala model to fashion retailers. By investigating fashion retailers that target niche markets, have strong brand image and asset specificity; the paper adds additional empirical evidence of situations where internationalisation does not follow the linear pattern that Uppsala model argues.

This study aims to focus on the role of niche brands in online retailer assortments and the general market positions of niche brands, no prior study has explicitly focused on if and when brick-and-mortar retailers should include niche brands in their category assortments.

The authors empirically analyze the category performance implications of focusing assortments on niche brands, at the expense of mainstream brands, in two product categories that have significant niche brand presence, namely, coffee and beer. The empirical data include sales, distribution and marketing tactical information for 50 US geographic markets from 2001–2011.

This research finds that a mainstream brand focus has a generally positive impact on category performance. However, a store’s strategic shift toward niche brands is beneficial in certain cases such as when a store has higher average prices or product form variety or when they are part of a powerful chain. The authors also find that a niche brand focus strategy is becoming increasingly viable over time for brick-and-mortar retailers.

Little is known about the parameters that might make a brick-and-mortar retailer more or less likely to pursue a niche brand focus strategy and when doing so might improve category performance. This analysis helps clarify the conditions under which a brick-and-mortar retailer may experience category level sales increases from focusing assortments on niche brands.

The purpose of this study is to examine how the textile and apparel industry can utilize a niche market strategy in order to compete with lower priced imports.

The research design used for this study was an in‐depth case study method. The sample consisted of selected companies from the fiber, textile, apparel, and auxiliary sectors who are considered leaders in the US textile and apparel industry.

Results indicated that firms can approach a niche strategy from either a market or a product perspective. Findings also indicated variables that are used by firms for both approaches. The most important factor in which a firm needs to focus is understanding the consumer.

Because of the limited sample size of US textile and apparel firms, the results can only be generalized to those companies that participated in the study and not the entire textile and apparel industry.

This research study showed that a niche strategy is a promising global competitive strategy for the textile and apparel industry that can be used to compete with lower priced imports.

This study clarifies not only how a niche market/product is defined by the industry, but also how firms can implement and maintain a successful niche strategy.