Abstract: Based on the resource orchestration theory, high-level marketing exploration and marketing exploitation may not necessarily bring higher marketing performance to firms. This study defines marketing ambidexterity as the balance between marketing exploration and marketing exploitation, and at the same time exploits and explores in marketing activities, and examines the moderating effect of firms' absorptive capacity on relationship between marketing ambidexterity and sales growth. Through a questionnaire survey of 227 small and medium export-oriented private enterprises in Guangdong Province, combined with second-hand financial data for empirical research. The results show that:(1)The influence of marketing ambidexterity on the sales growth presents an upward concave curve; (2)Among high-level marketing exploitation firms, marketing ambidexterity has a stronger second order effect on sales growth, that is, marketing ambidexterity has a positive impact on sales growth;(3)Marketing exploration and marketing exploitation indirectly affect the sales growth of firms through marketing ambidexterity.

Key words: marketing ambidexterity, absorptive capacity, marketing performance, marketing exploration, marketing exploitation