The Role of Integrated Promotional Strategies in Aiding the Success of SMMEs in the Retail Sector in Durban.
Abstract
The success of Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) in Durban's retail sector is crucial for both the local economic vitality and community engagement. Despite this importance, these enterprises often struggle with maintaining visibility and competitiveness. However, there is a solution in the form of integrated promotional strategies, which bring together different marketing channels to deliver a coherent message to the target audience. To further understand the impact of these strategies, this study aims to delve into their role in the success of retail SMMEs in Durban. 217 owner-managers of retail SMMEs in Durban provided data using self-administered questionnaires with a 5-point Likert scale, resulting in 88% response rate. Analysing the data using a variety of descriptive and inferential methods, we utilised the statistical software SPSS Version 29. The results displayed an overall agreement among respondents regarding the effectiveness of integrated promotional strategies such as sales promotion, branding, digital marketing, and social media. However, respondents had divided opinions on the effectiveness of public relations, email communication, and telemarketing. In conclusion, it was evident that integrated promotional strategies play a crucial role in the success of retail small and medium enterprises (SMMEs) in Durban by boosting visibility, strengthening brand recognition, and fostering customer engagement. Through the implementation of personalised and cohesive promotional strategies, SMMEs can better navigate the competitive market and ultimately attain long-term growth and success.
References
Adams, G. H. (2022). An assessment of local economic development support provided to small businesses within the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (Doctoral dissertation, University of Johannesburg).
Belch, G. E., & Belch, M. A. (2018). Advertising and Promotion: An Integrated Marketing Communications Perspective. McGraw-Hill Education.
Bluman, A. G. (2013). Elementary Statistics: A Step By Step Approach. McGraw-Hill Education.
Cooper, D. R. & Schindler, P. S. (2014). Business Research Methods. The McGraw− Hill Companies.
Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches, (4th ed.). California: Sage Publications Inc.
Davies, M. A. P. (2008). The evolving concept of integrated marketing communication. Journal of Advertising Research, 48(4), 433-446.
De Vaus, D. (2014). Surveys in social research, (6th ed.). Routledge.
Duncan, T. R., & Everett, S. E. (1993). Client perceptions of integrated marketing communications. Journal of Advertising Research, 33(3), 30–40.
Egan, J. (2008). Relationship marketing: Exploring relational strategies in marketing. Pearson UK.
Fillis, I., & Wagner, B. (2005). A conceptualization of the opportunities and challenges of small business marketing. Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal, 8(4), 352-365.
Gao, L., Melero, I. & Sese, F. J. (2020). Multichannel integration along the customer journey: a systematic review and research agenda. The Service Industries Journal, 40(15-16), 1087-1118.
Hays, W. L. (2013). Statistics (7th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Juska, J. M. (2021). Integrated marketing communication: advertising and promotion in a digital world. Routledge.
Kitchen, P. J., & Schultz, D. E. (2001). A multi-country comparison of the drive for IMC. Journal of Advertising Research, 41(3), 49-59.
Kotler, P., & Armstrong, G. (2017). Principles of Marketing, Seventeenth Edition. In Pearson (17th ed.). Pearson Education Limited.
Mohammed, I. A. (2015). Integrated marketing communication and small enterprises: A case of SMEs in Nairobi. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 5(6), 2222-6990.
Nkosana, T. (2022). Adoption of social media for effective marketing by micro-hospitality businesses in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (Doctoral dissertation).
Percy, L., & Rosenbaum-Elliott, R. (2016). Strategic advertising management. Oxford University Press.
Poni, M. (2014). Research paradigms in education. Journal of Educational and Social Research, 4(1), 407-413.
Schultz, D. E., & Kitchen, P. J. (2000). Integrated marketing communications in US advertising agencies: An exploratory investigation. Journal of Advertising Research, 40(5), 7-18.
Schultz, D.E. and Kitchen, P.J. (2020). Integrated Marketing Communication in the Digital Era. Routledge.
Smith, P. R. & Zook, Z. (2019). Marketing communications: Integrating online and offline, customer engagement and digital technologies. Kogan Page Publishers.
Thair, A. (2018). Alignment of teaching and practice: Entrepreneurial SME marketing (Doctoral dissertation, Auckland University of Technology).
Todes, A., & Houghton, J. (2021). Economies and employment in growing and declining urban peripheries in South Africa. Local Economy, 36(5), 391-410.
Trochim, W. M., & Donnelly, J. P. (2008). The Research Methods Knowledge Base. Cengage Learning.
Twum, K. K. & Yalley, A. A. (2021). Green Integrated Marketing Communication. Green Marketing in Emerging Markets: Strategic and Operational Perspectives, 117-144.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Norman Mahohoma, A.T Agbenyegah
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
The author fully assumes the content originality and the holograph signature makes him responsible in case of trial.
