The Impact of Creativity, Market Orientation, and Entrepreneurial Orientation on SME Marketing Performance: Investigating the Mediating Effect of Product Innovation

This study investigates the influence of creativity, market orientation, and entrepreneurial orientation on the marketing performance of food and beverage SMEs in Dompu Regency, Indonesia, with product innovation as a mediator.Using a sample of 252 SMEs and structural equation modeling with partial least squares (PLS-SEM), the study finds that creativity, market orientation, and entrepreneurial orientation have significant positive effects on both product innovation and marketing performance.Product innovation also positively influences marketing performance and partially mediates the relationships between the three independent variables and marketing performance.The findings highlight the importance of fostering creativity, market orientation, and entrepreneurial orientation in SMEs to drive product innovation and enhance marketing performance.The study contributes to the literature by providing empirical evidence on the factors that shape SME performance in an emerging economy context and offers practical implications for SME managers and policymakers.