Introduction to the Special Issue on Data and Methodological Issues for New Insights in International Marketing

The proliferation of data and challenges facing firms to generate insights to meet changing customer needs and compete globally has heightened the necessity to apply appropriate methodologies. The unstructured nature of mobile, social media, and other sources of “big data” increasingly used by marketers can be particularly challenging in global marketing contexts in which consumers differ not only in terms of language, cultural norms, or tastes and preferences but also in terms of their access to or use of technology or particular digital platforms. In addition, the continued challenges due to differences in data availability and reliability, acceptability of different data collection methods, and respondent tendencies continue to pose difficulties for researchers in marketing. This special issue of the Journal of International Marketing (JIM) addresses current methodological issues for gaining new insights in international marketing and offers guidance for researchers facing these challenges. In introducing this special issue, we first offer a brief review of previous methods-related articles in JIM and then describe the goals and scope of this special issue.