Digital Marketing and SMEs: A Systematic Mapping Study

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) have a high priority for many governments because of their important economic contribution and the number of people they employ. The very rapid development of ICT in the digital era has an impact on various lines of life, including changes in business environment and consumer behavior. Therefore, the need to find out about research trends and themes in digital marketing in SMEs is important. The objective of this paper is to classify, and identify related themes and trends in the literature that are directly related to digital marketing and SMEs over the past 10 years. A systematic mapping study was conducted to identify what evidence is available on digital marketing and SMEs. Systematic mapping studies are useful for classifying and summarizing existing published research reports and results. A total of 121 studies were identified and mapped. Systematic mapping study provides an overview of the research areas, research methods, research subjects, digital marketing channels used, and research themes and results. Research trends in digital marketing and SMEs have tended to increase in the last three years and are mostly carried out in both developed and developing countries. The theme of research mostly related to adoption and business performance, with digital marketing channels dominated by social media marketing and website. The SME sector studied consists of many sectors of SMEs, followed by single sectors such as hospitality, food and drink, and manufacture.