Agility or Scalability? Digitalisation Pathways among Australian Service Exporters
(A2026-132246)

AUTHORS

Farid Ahmed, Western Sydney University

ABSTRACT

Digitalisation is widely recognised as a driver of firm internationalisation, yet its performance outcomes remain context dependent. This study examines how digitalisation capability influences export performance across two types of Australian service exporters: location-free professional services and standardised service package providers. Using survey data from 415 small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) service exporters and multi-group structural equation modelling, the findings show that digitalisation capability enhances export performance only indirectly and through different pathways for each service type. Location-free professional services benefit primarily from agility and collaboration, enabled by entrepreneurial and learning orientations and value co-creation, whereas performance gains for standardised service package providers stem from scalability and market responsiveness through international market orientation. The study provides evidence that digitalisation does not translate uniformly into performance but must be aligned with service characteristics, offering service-specific guidance for digital internationalisation strategies.