Edinburgh Napier University

  Unprecedented strides have been made in technological advancements within recent decades. The synergistic effect of information technologies with communications technologies -coined information and communications technologies (ICTs)- has been pervasive, inspiring much academic enquiry. In the field of marketing, research has burgeoned in its prominent nexuses with ICT, for example electronic commerce, digital marketing, and customer relationship management (CRM). Academics concentrated on adoption determinants and the impact of technologies on consumers, firms, and countries. However, few studies examined this phenomenon from the perspective of the marketer - the implementer within the firm. Further, despite signaling ICTs’ centrality in marketing practice and its capacity to transform the discipline, scholars have also flagged possible reluctance to technology uptake by marketers. Accordingly, this research sought to contribute towards bridging the lacuna by exploring the scope of ICTs being used by marketers in practice, the impact on performance, and challenges encountered. The study also has an explanatory component seeking underlying reasons for technology adoption.

The investigation employed a qualitative multi-method research design with a critical realism underpinning, supported by online questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. It is one of few studies drawing upon a combination of traditional and relationship marketing theory, as opposed to technology adoption theory, to undertake research on ICT adoption and usage in marketing. The findings revealed a selection of customer-facing and non-customer-facing ICTs being used by marketers including analytical, monitoring, collaboration, and other ICT tools. Underlying reasons for adoption spanned environmental, technological, and organisational factors, including strategy. The study’s main contribution to knowledge was highlighting the need to consider the impact of change when contemplating ICT adoption. A conceptual framework linking major themes in the literature was developed in this regard. Further, a framework for incorporating ICTs into marketing was also designed to assist marketers in their practice.