Export resilience – A future key success factor for Upper Austrian B2B companies?

Abstract

Motivation: Seeing Upper Austrian B2B companies struggle in keeping up their export business intensity and simultaneously accelerating the usage of digital communication and export channels, creates the starting point for an Export Resilience study in Upper Austria, an export-oriented region. The main motivation for implementing a study in this particular field was the creation of a pool of current key findings, ring-fenced by clear managerial implications and recommendations, which respond to future export trends emerging out of the study. Findings: An online questionnaire was sent out to exporting B2B companies which was completed by 173 respondents. The data provides insights in triggers of export resilience, insight in future export channels and differences in the export strategy of Upper Austrian B2B companies. For example, the survey has shown that 52% of the participating businesses can be classified as being „immune” to external influences. Further insights are given according to the change of digital export tools, the form of meetings and AI based export tools. Conclusion: Consequently, the extent to which the implementation of the export resilience study stimulated the dialogue between the academic and business community led to managerial recommendations for Austrian B2B export companies.