Literature review

Digital marketing is referred to as marketing campaign that involves the use of electronic devices (internet and other forms of digital interaction) to promotion messages. It is a nascent aspect of marketing that uses the internet and other forms of digital communication, such as computers, tablets, mobile telephones (with WhatsApp, Instagram, Google, Twitter, Facebook, Messenger, YouTube, Zoom, and other apps.), e-mails, content marketing, and other digital media and platforms to present and promote goods and services. It may take many other channels, including online video, search engine marketing, web-based display ads, social media posts, text and multimedia messages, and any other forms of digital media. Thus, in order to differentiate from online marketing, digital marketing includes channels that do not require the use of internet, such as television, mobile telephones (in terms of SMS and MMS), call-back, and on-hold mobile ring tones. The monorail and turbo-charged speed with which people, especially those in the developed worlds, go online daily provides the marketing man with opportunities to constantly leverage on digital world and digital strategy for web-based advertising and brand image building, as well as for providing great customer experience that attracts more potential customers. However, the growth and expansion of the micro-businesses is critical to socio-economic growth of any nation [38, 39].

Micro businesses employ 1–10 persons [40] in many nations, the sector is progressively vital for creating and developing dynamic and knowledge economy. They are known for their capacity to encourage entrepreneurial skills, their flexibility and innovation, and their capability to adapt faster to changing market situations. Further, despite being a major employer of labour, contributing meaningfully to most countries’ GDP; micro-business sector in the developing economies has not fully embraced DMT and other IT-innovations. This remains obvious regardless of the successive governments’ encouragements to their growth through the adoption of new technologies needed to make them viable in a highly volatile business setting [24, 27, 41] Supposedly, micro-businesses that structure their marketing activities and policies into a culture of DM leverage on strategies and plans that create automated interaction and consciousness with their clients to win their trust [31] though majority of them are yet to establish such consciousness to a level of shaping purchase decisions [39, 40, 42, 43] While micro-business sector represents the mainstay of economies with higher income, it is not same with developing economies such as Nigeria where innovators are bedevilled with low income per-head and limited finances, high administrative costs, high collateral requirements, negative attitude to lend to micro-businesses, corruption, and unstable government policies.

According to Amirkhanpour et al., [25] access to finance is key to setting up enabling environment to reduce unemployment via the development of micro-businesses, promotion of innovation and growth of GDP. The focus of this paper is the micro-business sector particularly the service-oriented businesses, given that [33] and [44] observe that Nigeria, like many other economies, is supposedly driven by services and DM. T-O-E theoretical framework underpins the paper because apart from being classic, it is widely adopted by firms to explore what digital marketing platforms are more likely to improve firms’ values, given the influences of technology, organization, and environment contexts [24, 45]. The framework represents a vital analytical tool that unveils the essential features and drivers of innovation [33, 46] (that may shape small businesses’ values with regards to the implementation of DMT and other conservational technologies. Besides, the T-O-E framework earning robust cross-context theoretical and empirical validations [24, 47, 48] and drawing on the context of environment overlooked by Rogers’ IDT and other adoption theories, it shows realistic flexibility in the justification of technology adoption [49, 50]

Further, T-O-E framework describes intra-firm innovation adoption when compared to other frameworks [47, 51] thus, making it one of the most robust theoretical frameworks [52]. The framework permits a pool of generic factors that assist in finding solutions to myriad of phenomena investigated. Significant parts of the firm are technology, which explains tools and procedures associated with internal and external technologies, as well as the know-hows [49, 50] organization: structures, degree of monopoly, size of business and resources [47, 52] and environment: competition, macroeconomic issues and regulations [15]. Regardless of the growing scholarly prowess of T-O-E framework in the IS field and given that nothing remains same overtime, scholars [24] glamour for improving T-O-E’s lenses via context extension and theory integration. Eze et al., [53] berated [54] for proposing a specified model rather using the T-O-E taxonomy to categorize factors into relevant contexts. However because this paper is exploratory, the codes and themes in the analysis will provide us with typical extension(s) of the contexts in order to provide a more substantial analytical utility for micro-businesses.

Interview

Interviews were conducted in two stages; the first stage involved unstructured interviews with 4 participants at the preliminary level. The essence of this initial interview was to determine the present state of digital marketing in micro-businesses by analysing the interview outcome and applying samples of the raw data from the analysis to theoretical codes of technology, organization and environment to ensure that these codes fit into the subsequent raw data generated from the semi-structured interviews. This process facilitated the design of questions for the semi-structured interviews used at the second stage of the data collection. In general, 4 (V1 to V4) unstructured interviews were carried out at the preliminary stage in Table 1, while semi-structured interviews were carried out with 22 (V5 to V26) participants as depicted in Table 2. Before the interview process started, a written consent was granted by the Landmark University Review Board. A formal letters were sent to the participants detailing the purpose of the interview and assurance of confidentiality. The essence was to ensure that participants are comfortable before going through the interview. This is an important part of the interview protocol because one cannot rely on memory otherwise it may lead to error and/or bias (Oates, 2006). This process also helped the participants to determine the credibility of the research process before the commencement of the interview. The interviews lasted between 1 hour and 1 hour, 30 minutes. The study was carried out from February 2020 to October 2020.

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Table 1. Preliminary study participants and the company profile.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0260145.t001

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Table 2. Major study participants and the company profile.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0260145.t002

Data analysis

The study adopted a theory-driven thematic analysis. This approach was adopted because the codes were obtained from the T-O-E framework while impact emerged empirically. To understand the features of each code in details the names and descriptions of the codes were highlighted in Table 3 which assisted in coding and description of data. The data analysis process in Fig 1, as a part of research design depicts a step by step approach showing how the raw data was reported (dependability check) and the conformability checks that depicts that the data is linked to the interpretation [57]. The analysis involved: (1) analysing the initial raw data from the unstructured interview in order to ascertain how suitable and applicable the theoretical codes and the empirical codes align with the raw data; (2) the use of NVivo software to manage the interview data and to help the analysis because of the huge data involved; (3) retrieval of data from NVivo and clustering them into appropriate categories; and (4) inter-coder reliability test with two judges who purified the data.

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Fig 1. Data analysis process is about here.

Source: Adapted from Eze et al., 2019.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0260145.g001

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Table 3. Description of codes.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0260145.t003

The judges compared the codes with the themes that emerged using percentage agreement [58] (and the results as shown in Table 4 indicated that the first judge accounted for 83 per cent agreement and the second was 82 per cent; thus, exceeding 70 per cent benchmark as proposed by [59]. It is important to note that during the preliminary interview and analysis, the code expectancy which referred to the anticipated benefits that shapes the value micro businesses attached to DMT constantly re-occurred. This was the basis for its inclusion in the subsequent interviews and analysis.

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Table 4. Reliability.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0260145.t004

The framework

Fig 2 below depicts a conceptual framework for the study showing the factors that shape the values micro-businesses attach to digital marketing devices. These factors were explored based on theory-driven thematic analysis using -Technology, organisation and environment and the data-driven one—expectancy, which emerged empirically to represent the anticipated benefit attached to the digital marketing by SMEs. The exploratory and the explanatory of nature of the finding in the framework are based on the participant’s own narratives and literature. This helps in the explanation of the factors. Although the study is of the view that the developed framework may serve as a frame of references to the understanding of the factors that may shape the values MSMEs attached to digital marketing devices, the meanings of the codes derived operationally and the factors could be adopted as analytical instruments for researchers to understand and explain factors that continually shape the values of digital marketing applications in MSMEs.

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Fig 2. Factors stimulating values micro-businesses attach to digital marketing devices is about here.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0260145.g002

While the adoption of digital marketing applications may help micro-businesses to create partnerships and develop new business ideas to enhance information sharing, collaborative environments and advanced product and process innovation [5, 60, 61] however, one of the striking findings is the emergence of the expectancy context which aid in the extending the framework. Drawing on the finding, although the majority of micro-businesses may have the zeal to exploit opportunities using these applications to support fast decision-making [5, 62] small businesses do not often have the zeal to try new technologies. Hence, the finding discussed below may play an important part to small businesses in valuing these applications and become hand-on and tactical in dealing with DMT in the future.

Technology

The first construct, long-term functional capacity, defines the extent to which DMT helps the business to meet its long-run obligations. Small businesses have financial limitations as they struggle to remain commercially viable and sustainable. Hence, the adoption of DMTs may not be easy although it is comparatively cheap [63–66]. Evidence from the analysis shows that micro-businesses would value applications that accomplish tasks in a long-run without complexity as raised by [V5], [V11], [V14], [V15] [V2], [V7] and other interviewees to show cross-case supports (see Table 5). Previous [67–70] and recent [47, 50, 71, 72] studies support this finding when they reported that digital devices that are complicated, lack functional capability, and slow business processes rarely stand the test of time. Second, integration capacity defines the extent to which DM devices consistently adapt to incumbent technology used by the firm, given that [73] posit that inconsistency reduces when an application is capable of integrating into extant arrangement. MSMEs tend to value DM applications that seamlessly adapt to what already exists in the organization as echoed by participants (V1, V2, V10, V13, V14) and their cross-case supporters (see Table 5).

Studies [74–77] affirm that it may be expensive to have new applications whose features do not fit into, or integrate, the old and current infrastructural arrangements. Micro-businesses rarely value applications that do not easily adapt to the organization’s norms. Third, expansion capacity defines the ability of digital marketing device to continually accommodate and integrate emerging and extant technological capabilities [33, 66, 78]. The analysis shows that micro businesses place significant values to marketing devices that are flexible and can constantly intertwine with new and emerging features. It was noted that the expansion nature of any digital marketing devices aid in business and process innovation. It controls the cost of engaging in entirely new technology. Narratives from 11 interviewees [V14; V2; V3; V4; V12; V11; V18; V19; V21; V24; V20] severally affirm that micro-businesses place high value on those marketing devices that easily integrate with other ones (see their comments in Table 5). Scholars [71, 77, 79, 80] (reported that small businesses attach higher value to IT applications that adapt to extant organizational norms.

Organization

Collective capability is the capacity of small businesses to understand and accommodate the views and initiatives of the majority of the workforce via open interaction. It is argued that the views of micro business managers on digital marketing may not be the same with those of others based on differences in knowledge acquisition and social setting. [V19] and [V23] with many cross-case supporters {[V1]; [V5]; [V6]; [V7]; [V8]; [V11]; [V14]; [V15]; [V19]; [V22]; [V23]; [V24]; [V26]} reported that understanding and integrating everyone’s views help to disseminate technical information that smoothens relationship. Gbadegeshin et al., [71] and, Nelson and Cooprider [81] found that when information is understood by all, it helps to improve efficiency and bring about collective value and understanding. Shared meaning is vital and how it circulates across the various levels in an organization shapes the values attached to technology [71, 82]

Often businesses partner extensively to build and leverage on integrated competitive advantages. This leads to collaborative experience, which represents the extent to which integrated businesses are committed to collective problem-solving in order to benefit from comparative cost advantages. However, the finding reveals that most small-businesses do not collaborate when the IT-applications rarely help them to understand their trading partners. This implies that more value is placed on digital marketing devices when it aid collaboration among workgroups as was noted by participants [V15], [V22], [V23] and cross-case supporter (see Table 5): [V1], [V2], [V3], [V4], [V5], [V9], [V12], [V13]. This was consistent with previous studies [71, 78, 83–86] that found that corporate initiatives and collaborative efforts aid IT-adoption decision.

Environment

Often technology regularly evolves and regularly turns obsolete. First, adaptive training defines the ability of the manager to swiftly learn and adapt to the training required to operate a new technology. Adaptive training is done to help owners and workers to learn on how DMT adds values to business developments. This study discovered that small businesses tend to value new applications that are simple and allow ease of use without having to undergo a series of rigorous training. Participants [V11; V2; and V9] and cross-case supporter [V1, V5, V9, V13, V14, V17, V18, and V20] severally and individually are of this position. According to [18] majority of MSME managers lack the patients and devotion to learn about DMT because most of them, believe that such new technology consumes their time. In other words, new applications are more valued by MSMEs when huge resources are not required to learn and understand the applications [44, 85]. Second, service delivery defines the ability of DMT to advance business activities proficiently and profitably. Participants V15 and V12 and cross-case supporters [V2 V3, V7, V8, V10, V11, V9, and V13] are of the view that DMT would be highly valued if the information circulated is consistent and dependable, improves daily processes, and helps to assist customers to make fast and real-time decisions.

This is consistent with previous studies [16, 85, 87, 88], that espouse the dependability of efficiency of service delivery in terms triggering prospective clients to turn genuine adopters. Third, given that [89] posits that customer is the king and that, he largely values new applications that help them to improve market shares and market positioning, customer fulfilment defines perceived satisfaction derived from using DM devices. Participants V11 and V12 and cross-case supporters [V1, V4, V5, V6, V7, V10, V14, V16, V23, V24, V25, and V26] recognized the criticality of the customer in the life and existence of any firm and observed loudly that any application that represents a worthy means to an end and fulfills the customer expectations is highly valued and adopted. Scholars [16, 85, 87, 89] propose that the attributes of any technology are very important in decision process and vital to the success of the promoter if they help to acquire, retain and fulfil customer’s needs.

Expectancy

Often MSMEs are deprived of emerging technologies because of their constraints of limited resource; thence, they relate their budget to the ability of DMT to assist processes at a moderate cost. In other words, MSMEs value and appreciate more applications that are capable of minimizing cost without compromising quality. Participants [V1, V15, V20, V2, V3, V5, V6, V9, V11, V16, and V2] strengthened this position when they recognized that their small size makes them to do critical cost-benefit analysis in order to make informed decision on budgets. This consistent with previous studies [16, 47, 72, 90] who view that small businesses clinch to DMT if the cost-benefit structure is long-ranged. Firm’s growth, as the second construct, is tied to staff strength, market share, and applications that aid business processes. DM devices advance productivity and help micro-businesses to develop new industries and business activities.

This was echoed across cases [V5, V6, V9, V14, V17, and V20] when the cases recognized that adoption is valued primarily if the technology enables firm’s growth in terms of customer base. Previous studies [65, 66, 91–93] affirmed that MSMEs value digital marketing applications that have specific growth objectives and improve business performance. Finally, profitability is the return on funds invested in DMT, particularly in the views of scholars [33, 94] profitability includes unusual returns and market values. Case and cross-case participants [V2, V5, V12, V13, V9, V20, V23 and V14] note that they value applications that are capable of reducing workforce and maximizing profits. Studies show that when businesses make profits following technologies adopted, that triggers off investment because such technologies are valued [83, 95].

Limitations and future research

The study is qualitative and so, the research design, rigour in data gathering and collection, management of the large raw data involved, and the analysis, as well as the credibility of the findings, may require further validation. This is because it may lead to unforeseen–respondent- research bias in the data analysis. This may result in a limited understanding of alternatives and insights into the factors shaping the values of digital marketing technology adoption. Hence, methods such as case study and mix-method may be adopted to further validate the findings. Further, the study interviewed 26 interviewees, which is relatively small; hence, the generalization of the findings and the framework may be a bit difficult in some context. It is suggested that other studies should use other approaches to test, ascertain and validate the findings and the framework across a wider population. While the study is of the view that the framework may not be suitable across countries because of the level of exposure, variances in the level of technology use, culture, socio-economic viability, further studies are needed to draw on the framework and to extend the factors.