This paper explores the role of a firm's product and/or market export experience and experimentation for survival of new product-destination export spells, using firm-level Spanish customs data over the period 1997–2015. Previous research has documented a positive impact of experience on export survival. This paper contributes to the extant literature by unravelling the distinct effect on export survival of ongoing accumulated experience (i.e., from the start of a product-destination export spell), previous product and/or destination-market experience and experimentation (repetition of product-destination relationships). We find that 60% of new product-country export spells end during their first year. Thereafter, the hazard rate remarkably falls with their elapsed duration (i.e., age). Exporting a new product endures a higher risk than entering a new market. Besides, experimentation (repeated product-destination combinations) and previous experience (especially at product rather than at destination level) significantly lower the exit hazard. The results are consistent with previous studies that suggest that sunk costs to enter markets are relatively high, while experimentation and learning are more relevant at product level.

中文翻译：

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以往的经验、实验和出口生存：来自公司-产品-目的地水平数据的证据

本文使用 1997 年至 2015 年期间的公司级西班牙海关数据，探讨了公司的产品和/或市场出口经验和实验在新产品目的地出口期的生存中的作用。先前的研究记录了经验对出口生存的积极影响。本文通过阐明持续积累经验（即从产品目的地出口期开始）、先前产品和/或目的地市场经验和实验（产品重复目的地关系）。我们发现 60% 的新产品国家出口在第一年就结束了。此后，随着时间的推移（即年龄），危险率显着下降。出口新产品比进入新市场承受更高的风险。此外，实验（重复的产品-目的地组合）和以前的经验（尤其是在产品层面而不是在目的地层面）显着降低了退出风险。结果与之前的研究一致，这些研究表明进入市场的沉没成本相对较高，而实验和学习在产品层面更相关。