Digital marketing strategies and enterprise performance in manufacturing smes: evidence from a meta-analysis and theoretical synthesis
Keywords:
Digital Marketing, SME Performance, Manufacturing Enterprises, Meta-Analysis, Resource-Based View, Dynamic CapabilitiesAbstract
Purpose. This study aims to examine the nature and boundary conditions of the relationship between digital marketing strategies and enterprise performance in manufacturing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as well as to develop an integrated theoretical framework explaining this relationship.
Materials and Methods. The study employs a systematic literature review and meta-analysis of 56 empirical studies published between 2010 and 2024. Data were collected from Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, and CNKI databases. The theoretical interpretation is grounded in the resource-based view (RBV) and dynamic capabilities theory.
Results. The findings indicate that digital marketing has a moderate positive impact on SME performance (r = 0.3715). However, significant industry-level heterogeneity is observed: the strongest effects are found in the service sector (r = 0.425), while the manufacturing sector demonstrates a weaker but still positive relationship (r = 0.298). Key moderating factors include firm size, regional development level, and ownership structure. An integrated input–process–output framework is proposed to explain how digital marketing resources are transformed into performance outcomes through digital transformation mechanisms.
Conclusion. The study concludes that the effectiveness of digital marketing is context-dependent and varies across industries. Manufacturing SMEs require tailored digital strategies that account for sector-specific constraints, resource limitations, and institutional environments. The results contribute to theory by integrating multiple perspectives and provide practical implications for enhancing enterprise performance through digital marketing.
References
International Trade Centre. Global Digital Trade Development Report 2025. Geneva: ITC. Available at: https://www.intracen.org/sites/default/files/media/file/media_file/2025/09/25/0103041315.pdf (accessed: 06.03.2026).
Wu C. W., Botella-Carrubi D., & Blanco-Gonzalez-Tejero C. The empirical study of digital marketing strategy and performance in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 2024, 200, 123142. DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2023.123142.
Business Perspectives. Meta-analysis of publications on the impact of digital marketing strategies on small and medium enterprise performance. Business Perspectives, 2025, 1-15. Available at: https://www.businessperspectives.org/index.php/publishing-policies2/meta-analysis-of-publications-on-the-impact-of-digital-marketing-strategies-on-small-and-medium-enterprise-performance.
Sharabati A.-A. A., Ali A. A. A., Allahham M. I., Hussein A. A., Alheet A. F., & Mo-hammad A. S. The Impact of Digital Marketing on the Performance of SMEs: An Analytical Study in Light of Modern Digital Transformations. Sustainability, 2024, 16(19), 8667. DOI: 10.3390/su16198667.
Wang Y., Wang T., & Wang Q. The impact of digital transformation on enterprise performance: An empirical analysis based on China's manufacturing export enterprises. PLoS ONE, 2024, 19(3), e0299723. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0299723.
The CMO Survey. The CMO Survey Fall 2024 Report. Duke University. Available at: https://cmosurvey.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/The_CMO_Survey-Highlights_and_Insights_Report-Fall_2024.pdf.
Tran T. T., Tran K., & Tho D. T. The Impact of Innovation-Driven Digital Transformation on Export Performance of SMEs. Emerging Science Journal, 2025, 9(4), 1792-1806. DOI: 10.28991/ESJ-2025-09-04-03.
Zamri N. A. B., Rahim R. A., & Norizan N. B. The Effectiveness of Digital Marketing Towards SMEs. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 2024, 11(2), 1-15. DOI: 10.14738/assrj.112.2.16427.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
he author provides the Editorial Board of the journal for the entire duration of the exclusive rights to the Work the following rights:
1. the right to reproduce the Work (publication, publication, duplication, duplication or other reproduction of the Work) without restriction of copies. In addition, each copy of the Work must contain the name of the author of the Work;
2. the right to distribute the Work in any way;
3. the right to be included in the composite work;
4. the right to be communicated to the public;
5. the use of metadata (title, name of the author (copyright holder), annotations, bibliographic materials, etc.) of the Works by distributing and making available to the public, processing and systematization, as well as inclusion in various databases and information systems.
6. the right to transfer, on a contractual basis, the rights partially or fully obtained under this contract to third parties without payment to the Author of remuneration.
The author transfers the rights to the Editorial Board under this Agreement on the basis of a non-exclusive license.
The editorial staff is obliged to observe the copyrights provided for by the current legislation, the rights of the Author, as well as to protect them and take all possible measures to prevent copyright infringement by third parties.
The territory in which the use of rights to the Works is allowed is not limited.
The author also provides the Editorial Board with the right to store and process the following personal data with no time limit:
• Full Name;
• Date of Birth;
• education information;
• information about the place of work and position;
• information on the availability of published works of literature, science and art.
Personal data are provided for their storage and processing in various databases and information systems, their inclusion in analytical and statistical reporting, the creation of reasonable interrelationships of objects of science, literature and art with personal data, etc.
The editorial board has the right to transfer the specified data for processing and storage to third parties, subject to notification of such a fact with the provision of information about a third party (name and address) to the Author.
The withdrawal of consent to the storage and processing of personal data is made by the Author by sending a written notice to the Editorial Board.
The author and the Editorial Board of the journal bear, according to the current legislation of the Republic of Belarus, property and other legal responsibility for non-fulfillment or improper fulfillment of their obligations.
The Party that improperly performed or did not fulfill its obligations is obliged to indemnify the losses incurred by the other Party, including lost profits.
All disputes and disagreements of the Parties arising from the terms of this Agreement shall be settled by negotiation, and if they fail, the indicated disputes shall be settled in court in accordance with the current legislation of the Republic of Belarus.
The termination of this agreement is possible at any time by mutual consent of the Parties, with the obligatory signing of the relevant agreement by the Parties.
Termination of this agreement unilaterally is possible in cases stipulated by the current legislation, or by a court decision.
In all that is not provided by this agreement, the Parties are guided by the norms of the current legislation of the Republic of Belarus.
