Robot adoption and export performance: does the entry timing matter?

Abstract According to recent research, an increasing number of exporters have begun to adopt robots in production, since they often confront a more competitive market compared to domestic producers, which increases their investment in future productivity to some extent, such as adopting robots as a first mover. However, previous studies have not considered the possibility that some firms may prefer to become robot adopters earlier or later, which makes it difficult for firms to make beneficial choices when implementing a robotics strategy. In this paper, we conduct tests using survey data from Chinese industrial firms and a unique dataset provided by Chinese Customs. Our results suggest that robot first movers are more probable to enter the export market and improve their export performance, as it could build a positive consumer perception by first mover advantage that seems important and difficult for later entrants. However, choosing to be a robot first mover is not an optimal strategy for smaller firms, and any early action can make them worse off due to higher adoption risk and technological uncertainty. Our research provide some references and suggestions for firms' robot adoption strategies and enrich the application and development of first mover theory in the field of technology management.