Product Value and Marketing Performance: The Moderating Role of Collaborative Digital Scaling in the Sea Cucumber Business

This study aims to examine the effect of product value on marketing performance and to analyze the moderating role of collaborative digital scaling in the relationship between product value and marketing performance among sea cucumber entrepreneurs in Selayar Islands Regency, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. This study employed a quantitative survey approach involving 120 sea cucumber farmers and business operators. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS. The results indicate that product value does not have a significant direct effect on marketing performance. However, an increase in the scale of collaborative digital activities significantly moderates the relationship between product value and marketing performance, indicating that the contribution of product value to marketing performance becomes stronger when supported by effective digital collaboration. These findings suggest that the economic and functional value of sea cucumber products alone is insufficient to improve marketing outcomes without mechanisms that enable producers to expand market access and strengthen digital collaboration. This study contributes to the marketing literature by demonstrating the contextual role of increased collaborative digital scale in transforming product value into improved marketing outcomes in the fisheries sector. Practically, strengthening digital partnerships, market networks, and collaboration platforms can help sea cucumber businesses maximize their products’ market potential.