The Impact of Digital Marketing on the Performance of SMEs: An Analytical Study in Light of Modern Digital Transformations

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The theme is of interest (SMEs, DM).

You explored the literature with recent works (6 from 2023, and 4 from 2024), among other works from 20222... 

Nevertheless, I have some observations:

1. Material and methods:

“This study was applied to a population of information technology and digital marketing specializing companies in Jordan.” Could you, please, make clearer who the population is: all the companies in the field of digital marketing in Jordan? Do they work with DM for SMEs, and answered the question regarding their clients? Or are they the target population of SMEs that were interviewed? This is not clear. 

You made a good data collecting, with a good number of companies. But it is not clear who were the interviewed, and the sampling method. 

2. Results

The results of the hypothesis pondering could be more exploited. Which had the higher correlation? The lowest? What might be the explanations for the results? 

3. Discussions could also be improved

 

4. Conclusions

This sentence is lost within the conclusion: “Affirms the role of digital marketing for SMEs.”

Implications and recommendations are not presented in the conclusions, as well as limitations future work not presented either. 

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Dear Authors, I hope you are fine. 

Congratulations for your paper!

Strengths:

The paper approaches SMEs in the center of its discussion.

The discussion, on its side, is centered on new technologies, more specifically digital marketing.

Results show how DM can contribute to improve SMEs outcomes.

 

Weakennes:

The paper needs a review by a native or specialist in the English language (mainly punctuation usage, spelling, writing, among other… Also, standardize the writing of “Digital marketing”…. A few sentences are "lost" in the text. 

These observations are on the suggestions for corrections. 

Warm regards. 

Author Response

Comments 1: Material and methods:

“This study was applied to a population of information technology and digital marketing specializing companies in Jordan.” Could you please clarify who the population is: all the companies in the field of digital marketing in Jordan? Do they work with DM for SMEs, and answer the question regarding their clients? Or was it the target population of SMEs that were interviewed? This is not clear.

You made a good data collecting, with a good number of companies. However, it is not clear who was interviewed, and what the sampling method was”.

Responses: 

Thank you for your valuable feedback on our manuscript. We appreciate your comments and have addressed the concerns raised regarding the population and sampling method. We have clarified these aspects in the revised manuscript, specifically in the paragraph spanning lines 716 to 732. In this section, we have provided a detailed explanation of the target population, which includes both large and small enterprises specializing in digital marketing within Jordan. We have also described the purposive sampling technique used to select a diverse range of companies and have elaborated on the classification of companies based on size. Thank you once again for your insightful comments, which have greatly contributed to improving the clarity and robustness of our study.

Responses 2: Results

Thank you for your fruitful comments. The results of the hypothesis pondering could be more exploited. Which had the higher correlation? The lowest? What might be the explanations for the results?

Responses:

Dear Reviewer, Thank you for your valuable feedback on the results section of our paper. We appreciate your observations regarding the exploitation of hypothesis testing results and the correlations between constructs. To address your comments, we have revised the results section to provide a more detailed analysis of the correlations and their implications. Specifically, we have added a discussion on the highest and lowest correlations observed in our study, along with explanations for these findings. These updates can be found in lines 841 to 871 of the revised manuscript. We hope these revisions clarify the results and offer a more comprehensive understanding of the relationships between the variables studied. Thank you once again for your constructive suggestions.

Comments 3: Discussions could also be improved

Responses: 

Dear Reviewer, Thank you very much for your valuable feedback on our paper. We would like to inform you that we have made the necessary changes in response to your comments. Specifically, we have revised the discussion section entirely to better clarify the results and address the points you raised. The revisions to the discussion section can be found from line 871 to line 920. These changes include a detailed explanation of the higher and lower correlations among the variables, as well as possible interpretations for these results. We hope that these revisions address all the points you mentioned and provide a clearer and more in-depth analysis of our findings. We greatly appreciate your time and effort in helping to improve the quality of our research. We look forward to receiving your feedback on the new revisions. Sincerely.

Comments 4: Conclusions

This sentence is lost within the conclusion: “Affirms the role of digital marketing for SMEs.” Implications and recommendations are not presented in the conclusions, as well as limitations for future work are not presented either.

Responses:

Thank you for your valuable feedback on our manuscript. We have made the necessary revisions to improve the conclusions section in response to your comments. Response: We appreciate your observation regarding the clarity and completeness of the conclusions section. We have thoroughly revised this section to ensure it effectively summarizes the study's findings and addresses your concerns. Affirmation of Digital Marketing Role: We have expanded the discussion to affirm the critical role of digital marketing in enhancing the performance of SMEs, emphasizing how various digital strategies improve market presence, customer engagement, and overall business outcomes. Implications and Recommendations: We have included practical implications and recommendations for both SMEs and policymakers. The revised section now highlights the importance of digital marketing adoption for SMEs and suggests that policymakers create supportive environments by enabling policies and providing financial and technical support.

Limitations and Future Research: We have added a paragraph discussing the limitations of the current study, such as its specific context.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Dear authors,

I have the pleasure to review your article.

 

Today, in the era of digitalisation, the SMe company can`t be continue the development without following the digitalisations trend.

The paper is well structured.

The literature in field is rich, current and valid, major from the recent years.

The research methodology is adequate (Factor analysis, Factor loadings Cronbach’s Alpha, Composite Reliability (C.R.), and Aver-734 age Variance Extracted).

The paper highlight very well the impact of “digital marketing strategies, investment in digital technology, and customer engagement on SME performance” (row 823+)

All the discussions and the conclusion are clearly explained.

 Recommendation : please insert the source for Figures and Tables  (example : “own research and computed or own research and edited)”.

Author Response

Comments 1: 

I have the pleasure to review your article.

Today, in the era of digitalization, the SMe company can`t continue its development without following the digitalization trend.

The paper is well structured.

The literature in the field is rich, current, and valid, major from recent years.

The research methodology is adequate (Factor analysis, Factor loadings Cronbach’s Alpha, Composite Reliability (C.R.), and Aver-734 age Variance Extracted).

The paper highlights very well the impact of “digital marketing strategies, investment in digital technology, and customer engagement on SME performance” (row 823+)

All the discussions and the conclusion are clearly explained.

 Recommendation: Please insert the source for Figures and Tables  (example: “own research and computed or own research and edited)”.

Response: 

Dear Reviewer,

Thank you for your valuable feedback and your thorough review of our paper. We agree that providing sources for figures and tables enhances the transparency and credibility of the research.

We have updated the figures and tables in the manuscript to include the necessary source information. All figures and tables now include a source note specifying whether the data is from "our own research and computations" or if it has been edited based on specific external sources.

We appreciate your attention to this detail and hope that these revisions meet your expectations.

Best regards,

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The research topic and theoretical model are commonly used in previous studies. What are the innovations in this research regarding the topic and theoretical model?

The study lacks theoretical implications, practical implications, research limitations, and future recommendations.

The discussion and conclusion sections do not analyze the research findings in connection with the study's data results.

 

Comments on the Quality of English Language

There are some grammatical issues that should be reviewed and revised

Author Response

Comments 1:

The research topic and theoretical model are commonly used in previous studies. What are the innovations in this research regarding the topic and theoretical model?

The study lacks theoretical implications, practical implications, research limitations, and future recommendations.

The discussion and conclusion sections do not analyze the research findings in connection with the study's data results.

Response:

Dear Reviewer,

Thank you for your constructive comments and valuable feedback on our research. We appreciate the opportunity to address the points you raised and enhance our study. We would like to explain how we addressed the specific points you raised:

Innovations in the Research Topic and Theoretical Model: While the topic and theoretical model have been explored in previous studies, our research offers several innovations:

Contextual Application: We focus specifically on SMEs in Jordan, providing insights into how digital marketing strategies and technology investments impact performance in this unique regional context.

Incorporation of Intervening Variables: We incorporate digital transformation as an intervening variable, providing a nuanced understanding of how it impacts the relationship between digital marketing strategies and SME performance.

Modern Data and Methods: We use state-of-the-art data collection methods and analytical techniques, including advanced statistical methods such as structural equation modeling (SEM), to ensure the robustness of the results.

Theoretical Implications, Practical Implications, Research Limitations, and Future Recommendations: We acknowledge that these aspects were not sufficiently developed in the original version. In the revised version, we have included:

Theoretical implications: We discuss how our findings contribute to the current literature on digital marketing and digital transformation, focusing on how our research can expand existing theoretical models and provide new insights.

Practical implications: We provide recommendations for SMEs on how to effectively leverage digital marketing strategies and technology investments to improve their performance.

Research limitations: We identify limitations of our study, including potential limitations related to sample size and generalizability of the findings.

Future recommendations: We suggest areas for future research, such as exploring the long-term effects of digital transformation on SME performance and investigating other contextual factors that may influence the results.

Discussion and conclusions section: We have revised the discussion and conclusions sections to better analyze the research findings based on the study results. The revised version now includes:

Interpretation of findings: Provide a detailed explanation of how our findings are consistent with or differ from previous research.

Linking findings to data: Explicitly linking the research findings to the data presented, and discussing the implications and significance of the findings in the context of the study objectives.

We believe these revisions address your concerns and enhance the clarity and impact of our research. Thank you again for your valuable feedback.

Best regards,

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

To enhance your manuscript, here are some suggestions based on the feedback:

1. Chapter 1： further emphasize the research motivation and clearly identify the research gap (i.e., the significance of the study). Strengthening these aspects will help clarify why this research is important and necessary.

2. In both Chapter 1 and the Implications section, highlight the innovative aspects and contributions of your research. This will help readers understand the unique value and advancements your study brings to the field.

3. For Figure 2, it is recommended to redraw the figure instead of using a screenshot. This will improve the visual quality and professionalism of your manuscript.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Minor editing of English language required.

Author Response

Comments 1: Chapter 1： further emphasizes the research motivation and clearly identifies the research gap (i.e., the significance of the study). Strengthening these aspects will help clarify why this research is important and necessary.

Response: 

Response: Thank you very much for your valuable feedback. I have made enhancements to Chapter 1 based on your comments. Below, I outline the specific changes made to address your concerns: Enhancing Research Motivation: Location in the Introduction: This enhancement follows the paragraph starting with "However, enduring through learning new tools could unlock opportunities to facilitate growth and shock resistance in a whirlwind era [2]." Modification: I have added a paragraph emphasizing the need for SMEs to adopt digital marketing strategies in response to rapid digital transformations. This edition highlights the importance of the research in addressing the challenges SMEs face in leveraging digital marketing for performance improvement and competitiveness. Clarifying the Research Gap: Location in the Introduction: This clarification follows the paragraph starting with "Moreover, Digital marketing is indeed a key strategic resource to reach a larger target audience..." Modification: I have included a paragraph that outlines the existing gap in the literature, specifically the focus on large firms and the insufficient exploration of how digital transformation impacts SMEs. This research aims to fill this gap by analyzing the role of digital marketing and its effects on SME performance, especially in the context of ongoing digital transformation. These revisions aim to better clarify the significance of the study and address the identified research gap, making the introduction more robust and clear. I have attached the revised version of Chapter 1 for your review. Comments 2: In both Chapter 1 and the Implications section, highlight the innovative aspects and contributions of your research. This will help readers understand the unique value and advancements your study brings to the field.

Response: 

Response to Comment: Thank you for your insightful comments. I have incorporated the following enhancements to address the innovative aspects and contributions of the research: Chapter 1: Added a section highlighting the innovative aspects of the study, including the exploration of new digital marketing tools and the application of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to SMEs. This section clarifies the unique value and advancements the research brings to the field. Implications Section: Expanded on how the study's findings contribute to both theoretical knowledge and practical applications. This includes a discussion of the new insights provided by the research and their implications for SMEs and policymakers. These additions aim to clearly convey the innovative nature and contributions of the research. I have updated both Chapter 1 and the Implications section accordingly. Please let me know if there are any further comments or adjustments needed. Comments 2: For Figure 2, it is recommended to redraw the figure instead of using a screenshot. This will improve the visual quality and professionalism of your manuscript. Response:  Thank you for your feedback. We have redrawn Figure 2 to improve its visual quality and professionalism, as suggested. The updated figure has been incorporated into the manuscript.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf