Journal of Entrepreneurship Research

Journal of Entrepreneurship Research

A Pattern of Critical Success Factors of Entrepreneurial Marketing in E-Businesses

Document Type : Research Article

Authors
Vahid Sharafi
Mona Jamipour
Batoul Shah Mohammadi Komchali
Department of Management, Faculty of Humanities, University of Hazrat-e Masoumeh, Qom, Iran.
10.22034/jer.2024.2034054.1144
Abstract
Introduction: The online environment for e-businesses is one of the fluctuating environments. A survey of business activities shows that more than one billion purchases have been made in more than 34 countries, indicating the explosive growth of e-businesses around the world. An essential point that is raised here is the unique capabilities of the Internet to use new business marketing models, create new values for customers, and provide numerous resources and benefits for entrepreneurs, distinguishing it from traditional and physical businesses in which new business and value models are applied more limitedly. This distinction in the marketing platform between traditional and e-businesses can be sought in the entrepreneurial marketing approach, because the Internet is the entrepreneurial marketing platform in e-businesses, whereas it is the physical environment in traditional businesses. This is a reason explaining why e-businesses are growing at a faster pace. However, research has been limited on the role of entrepreneurial marketing, especially in e-businesses. This study aimed to identify and categorize the critical factors of entrepreneurial marketing success in e-businesses.
Methodology: The research is an applied study in terms of purpose and an exploratory mixed-methods (quantitative-qualitative) study in terms of methodology. The critical factors of entrepreneurial marketing success in e-businesses were identified in the qualitative phase and were categorized in the quantitative phase. The statistical sample included 12 e-business managers and 10 academic experts active in the field of entrepreneurial marketing, selected by the snowball technique. The data collection instrument in the qualitative phase was semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire in the quantitative phase. The validity of the research instrument was checked by examining its construct validity, content validity, and external validity, whereas Cronbach's alpha coefficient was calculated to ensure its reliability.
Findings: Five critical factors of entrepreneurial marketing success including responsiveness to the environment, entrepreneurship, resources, technical infrastructure, and intellectual infrastructure were identified in the form of 14 comprehensive themes and 30 organizing themes. The interview scripts were retrieved with the help of Atlas software, and 80 primary codes were extracted from them. Overarching themes include risk-taking, opportunism, innovation, leadership, customer orientation, resource utilization, culture, strategy, tactics, value creation, technology, extent of tools, investment, and flexibility. The interpretive-structure modeling technique was used to categorize these factors. According to the results, the extent of tools, investment, and flexibility was categorized at level one; leveraging resources was categorized at level two; culture, strategy, customer-oriented, and technology were put at level three; tactics were categorized at level four; being proactive and value creation were placed at level five; and finally, risk-taking, opportunism, and innovation were placed at level six.
Conclusion/ Implications: Considering the importance of entrepreneurial marketing success factors, entrepreneurs in e-businesses should focus on these key factors and adapt entrepreneurial marketing success patterns based on them. These factors can provide many benefits to online businesses and help them succeed in a competitive and dynamic market.
Keywords
Critical Success Factors
E-businesses
Entrepreneurial Marketing

Subjects

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  • Receive Date 08 July 2024
  • Revise Date 21 December 2024
  • Accept Date 21 December 2024