THE INFLUENCE OF SPECIALIZED MARKETING CAPABILITIES AND ENTREPRENEURIAL ORIENTATION IN THE PERFORMANCE OF RETAIL APPAREL

Objective: examine the relationship between specialized marketing capabilities, entrepreneurial orientation and apparel retailing companies' performance in the city of Caxias do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Method: a survey was conducted with 200 stores, using Structural Equation Modeling technique. Originality / Relevance: the proposed model allows clothing retailers to identify which specialized marketing skills and which entrepreneurial orientation characteristics most influence their performance. In this way, it is possible to effectively allocate marketing resources, achieving superior performance. Previous models have been tested primarily in the industry. Results: product, channel, and marketing communication capabilities positively influence the company's performance, as well as the entrepreneurial orientation. Among the variables that represented the model, there are the entrepreneurial orientation and channel capacity, suggesting that companies seeking for novelties create and invent new businesses, products, and services, positioning themselves ahead of their competitors. Theoretical/methodological contributions: the construction and the empirical testing of the proposed structural model, which covered the relationship between the specialized marketing capacities (individually), the entrepreneurial orientation, and the companies' performance; in addition to moderation based on the company uptime, company size, and owner/manager schooling.