Digital Marketing in Small and Medium Enterprises: The Impact of Web-Based Technologies

This paper analyzes the application of web-based technologies supporting firms in the area of digital marketing. A systematic review of literature has identified three research questions regarding the main relational, marketing and search optimization tools adopted by small and medium enterprises (SMEs). These research questions have been subsequently addressed through a survey that involved 73 handicraft and/or retail SMEs operating in jewelry industry. The survey results point out that in few years the scenario has changed and SMEs are generally inclined to use traditional technologies instead of the updated ones, which are also cheap and easy to use. These results show the problems of SMEs to be reactive to the fast technological changes that are affecting marketing, as well as the low-intense support from ICT vendors in the process of choosing the adequate webbased solutions. The paper also highlights that SMEs typically do not have resources focused on the evolution of the digital market and they are not even able to follow the technologic dynamic environment.