The influence of mobile marketing on small to medium enterprise performance

Abstract

Given the ubiquity of digital marketing techniques and increasing mobile adoption rates, this research was aimed at investigating the influence of mobile marketing on small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) performance by considering its influence on brand awareness, customer acquisition, and sales. Online and paper-based questionnaire surveys were conducted, and 254 South African SMEs were obtained from the identified sample. The study tested three hypotheses using structural equation modeling. All hypotheses displayed significant relationships per testing, as findings revealed that mobile marketing has a positive effect on brand awareness, customer acquisition, and sales. Mobile marketing appears to have an even stronger influence on sales, which is insightful for managers and marketers within SMEs looking to employ digital marketing techniques that will aid the improvement of overall business performance. Managerial implications highlight that managers within the SME sector are now in a better position to make decisions on how to invest their limited resources on specific (or a combination of) digital marketing technologies that can assist them in enhancing their digital marketing/business objectives that are geared towards increasing performance. This study is particularly important in the local South African context, where a lack of marketing skills is one of the reasons for SME failure in the country. Ultimately, the study contributes to the literature and theoretical knowledge on the influence of digital marketing technologies on marketing/business objectives of small to medium enterprises.