Crafting a Winning Digital Marketing Strategy for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: Evidence from the Batik Industry in Sri Lanka

T. D. Samarasinghe () and Thilini C. Gamage ()
Additional contact information
T. D. Samarasinghe: Horizon Campus
Thilini C. Gamage: Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka

Chapter 3 in Contemporary Marketing Solutions, 2025, pp 55-78 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract Originating as a primary art of fabric dyeing, Sri Lankan batik small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have a high potential to position the country as an icon nation in the global marketplace. However, today, they face many challenges in developing their business due to poor technological adaptation, thus grappling with less competitiveness and remaining as a cottage industry. Grounded in the Technological-Organisational-Environmental (T-O-E) framework, this chapter explores creating a winning digital marketing strategy for Sri Lankan batik SMEs to be competitive and sustain their businesses. Using the multiple case study research design and the purposive sampling technique, data were collected by conducting semi-structured interviews with 12 entrepreneurs of Sri Lankan batik SMEs implementing digital marketing strategies. Findings stemming from thematic analysis reveal that digital marketing practices of batik SMEs vary, and 14 factors contribute to this variation. The 14 factors include computer anxiety, computer playfulness, computer experience, computer self-efficacy, perceived enjoyment, availability of financial resources, time scarcity, technical expertise, perceived benefits, ICT proficiency of employees, telecommunication infrastructure, availability of electricity facility, digital marketing complexity, and security and privacy concerns. These factors are further categorised as individual, organisational, and technological in nature. This qualitative study can be used as a grounding work extending practitioners’ understanding of the nature of these categories, which may lead to better insights into how to develop a winning digital marketing strategy for batik SMEs.

Keywords: Case study; Digital marketing; Small and medium-sized enterprises; T-O-E framework (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:sprchp:978-3-031-74657-4_3

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/9783031746574

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-74657-4_3

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in Springer Books from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().