SMEs in the Fourth Industrial Revolution: A Marketing Shift

Charles Asare (), William Asamoah Owusu (), Derrick Nukunu Akude (), Emelia Amoako Asiedu () and Kwame Ntim Sekyere ()
Additional contact information
Charles Asare: Ghana Communication Technology University
William Asamoah Owusu: Ghana Communication Technology University
Derrick Nukunu Akude: Ghana Communication Technology University
Emelia Amoako Asiedu: Ghana Communication Technology University, Department of Marketing
Kwame Ntim Sekyere: Ghana Communication Technology University

Chapter 7 in Entrepreneurship and Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Africa, 2026, pp 137-158 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract The importance of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) to the growth of economies cannot be overemphasized, as they are considered key contributors to economic development. They can identify and seize opportunities to provide solutions to societal problems. The conventional marketing mix (4Ps) has been the dominant traditional framework that has greatly facilitated marketing development in theory and practice. However, in literature, some scholars posit that the 4Ps are oriented to the internal aspects of SMEs, leaving out the external, which includes the customer. In general, the marketing mix ignores the evolving nature of the consumer, whose focus is on the attainment of value, better interaction, and trust, all of which are the foundations of relationship marketing. This chapter begins by providing a comprehensive overview of how SMEs understand and relate to their customers. This is followed by the antecedents of the 4Ps variables and how they have been applied by SMEs. The chapter will then progress with literature related to customer relationship management and its relevance in the fourth industrial revolution in the realm of SMEs, referring to the 4Cs of marketing.

Keywords: 4Cs; 4Ps; Customer satisfaction; Relationship marketing; SMEs (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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:978-3-032-14174-3_7

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/9783032141743

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-14174-3_7

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 ().