Understanding IT-enabled interactivity in contemporary marketing

The past decade has witnessed the emergence of a new phenomenon in marketing practice and research in terms of the rapid and widespread diffusion of information technology. Of particular interest in the marketing literature is the notion of interactivity within and among firms and customers. To better understand how IT-enabled interactivity impacts contemporary marketing practice, this paper synthesizes the extant and emerging literature to develop two related conceptual frameworks useful for discussion and empirical investigation. Building on an established conceptualization of marketing practices that comprises four different approaches (Transaction, Database, Interaction, and Network marketing), the first framework introduces a fifth approach: e-Marketing. The second framework relates these five marketing approaches to three distinct roles for information technology in the organization. Implications are offered for both managers and researchers.