IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/ijmark/v2021y2021i4d10.1007_s43039-021-00031-y.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Reacting to the COVID-19 pandemic through digital connectivity with customers: the Italian experience

Author

Listed:
  • Marco Bettiol

    (University of Padova)

  • Mauro Capestro

    (University of Padova)

  • Eleonora Maria

    (University of Padova)

  • Stefano Micelli

    (Ca’ Foscari University)

Abstract

The COVID-19 has deeply impacted the firm’s competitiveness because of the restrictions that limited the relationships with existing and new customers. The pandemic has pushed firms to rely on digital technologies to redefine business processes as well as customer relationships and marketing strategies. The digital technological portfolio firms may rely on to face the COVID-19 related challenges spanning from the established web-based technologies to the more recent Industry 4.0 tools related to the fourth industrial revolution. In this regard, the paper aims at exploring which digital technologies allowed firms to positively react to the pandemic to overcome their constraints in managing the market relationships. Based on an original qualitative analysis on 26 Italian SMEs carried out during the first Italian lockdown in 2020, the paper identifies three strategies in the use of digital technologies to support customer relationship management and market expansion. It emerges specifically the strategic importance of web-based technologies (videoconferencing, CRM and e-commerce) to support firm competition and performance through customer interactions and digital experience, advancing the literature on firms’ reaction strategies during turbulent and crisis times.

Suggested Citation

  • Marco Bettiol & Mauro Capestro & Eleonora Maria & Stefano Micelli, 2021. "Reacting to the COVID-19 pandemic through digital connectivity with customers: the Italian experience," Italian Journal of Marketing, Springer, vol. 2021(4), pages 305-330, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:ijmark:v:2021:y:2021:i:4:d:10.1007_s43039-021-00031-y
    DOI: 10.1007/s43039-021-00031-y
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s43039-021-00031-y
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s43039-021-00031-y?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Marco Bettiol & Mauro Capestro & Eleonora Di Maria & Stefano Micelli, 2020. "Knowledge and Digital Strategies in Manufacturing Firms: The Experience of Top Performers," Knowledge Management and Organizational Learning, in: Marco Bettiol & Eleonora Di Maria & Stefano Micelli (ed.), Knowledge Management and Industry 4.0, pages 85-111, Springer.
    2. Wang, Yonggui & Hong, Aoran & Li, Xia & Gao, Jia, 2020. "Marketing innovations during a global crisis: A study of China firms’ response to COVID-19," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 214-220.
    3. Kozinets, Robert V., 1999. "E-tribalized marketing?: the strategic implications of virtual communities of consumption," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 17(3), pages 252-264, June.
    4. Kohtamäki, Marko & Parida, Vinit & Patel, Pankaj C. & Gebauer, Heiko, 2020. "The relationship between digitalization and servitization: The role of servitization in capturing the financial potential of digitalization," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    5. Drew, Stephen, 2003. "Strategic Uses of E-Commerce by SMEs in the East of England," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 21(1), pages 79-88, February.
    6. Wu, Jie & Wu, Zefu & Si, Steven, 2016. "The influences of Internet-based collaboration and intimate interactions in buyer–supplier relationship on product innovation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(9), pages 3780-3787.
    7. Yongxin Liao & Fernando Deschamps & Eduardo de Freitas Rocha Loures & Luiz Felipe Pierin Ramos, 2017. "Past, present and future of Industry 4.0 - a systematic literature review and research agenda proposal," International Journal of Production Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 55(12), pages 3609-3629, June.
    8. Büchi, Giacomo & Cugno, Monica & Castagnoli, Rebecca, 2020. "Smart factory performance and Industry 4.0," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    9. Thomas Davenport & Abhijit Guha & Dhruv Grewal & Timna Bressgott, 2020. "How artificial intelligence will change the future of marketing," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 48(1), pages 24-42, January.
    10. Frank, Alejandro Germán & Dalenogare, Lucas Santos & Ayala, Néstor Fabián, 2019. "Industry 4.0 technologies: Implementation patterns in manufacturing companies," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 210(C), pages 15-26.
    11. Chang, Woojung & Park, Jeong Eun & Chaiy, Seoil, 2010. "How does CRM technology transform into organizational performance? A mediating role of marketing capability," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 63(8), pages 849-855, August.
    12. Janny C. Hoekstra & Peter S. H. Leeflang, 2020. "Marketing in the era of COVID-19," Italian Journal of Marketing, Springer, vol. 2020(4), pages 249-260, December.
    13. Erevelles, Sunil & Fukawa, Nobuyuki & Swayne, Linda, 2016. "Big Data consumer analytics and the transformation of marketing," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 69(2), pages 897-904.
    14. Eggers, Fabian, 2020. "Masters of disasters? Challenges and opportunities for SMEs in times of crisis," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 199-208.
    15. Sharma, Arun & Sheth, Jagdish N., 2004. "Web-based marketing: The coming revolution in marketing thought and strategy," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 57(7), pages 696-702, July.
    16. Verma, Surabhi & Gustafsson, Anders, 2020. "Investigating the emerging COVID-19 research trends in the field of business and management: A bibliometric analysis approach," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 253-261.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Eleonora Di Maria & Marco Bettiol & Mauro Capestro, 2023. "How Italian Fashion Brands Beat COVID-19: Manufacturing, Sustainability, and Digitalization," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-20, January.
    2. Shahin Vaqif Bayramov & Viktoriya Kookueva & Alexander Kolobov & Liudmila Tsvetkova, 2023. "Innovative Business Models in the Context of Organizational Culture Transformation in the COVID-19 Pandemic," Public Organization Review, Springer, vol. 23(1), pages 365-387, March.
    3. María-Dolores García-Santiago, 2022. "Communicating the Resilience and Corporate Social Responsibility of SMEs during Lockdown in Spain: A Visual and Exploratory Study of Communication Mechanisms and Strategies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-26, June.
    4. Eleonora Maria & Michele Simoni & Giuseppe Pedeliento & Marco Galvagno, 2021. "The long Covid effect in marketing and consumer research," Italian Journal of Marketing, Springer, vol. 2021(4), pages 297-303, December.
    5. Francesca Serravalle & Milena Viassone & Giacomo Chiappa, 2022. "Sensory disclosure in an augmented environment: memory of touch and willingness to buy," Italian Journal of Marketing, Springer, vol. 2022(4), pages 401-417, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ali Zackery & Joseph Amankwah-Amoah & Zahra Heidari Darani & Shiva Ghasemi, 2022. "COVID-19 Research in Business and Management: A Review and Future Research Agenda," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-32, August.
    2. Laubengaier, Désirée A. & Cagliano, Raffaella & Canterino, Filomena, 2022. "It Takes Two to Tango: Analyzing the Relationship between Technological and Administrative Process Innovations in Industry 4.0," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    3. Culot, Giovanna & Orzes, Guido & Sartor, Marco & Nassimbeni, Guido, 2020. "The future of manufacturing: A Delphi-based scenario analysis on Industry 4.0," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    4. Rodríguez-Espíndola, Oscar & Chowdhury, Soumyadeb & Dey, Prasanta Kumar & Albores, Pavel & Emrouznejad, Ali, 2022. "Analysis of the adoption of emergent technologies for risk management in the era of digital manufacturing," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 178(C).
    5. Valeska V. Geldres-Weiss & Nathaniel P. Massa & Joaquín Monreal-Pérez, 2021. "Export Promotion Agencies’ Lived Turmoil, Response and Strategies in COVID-19 Times," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-24, November.
    6. Lee, Changhun & Lim, Chiehyeon, 2021. "From technological development to social advance: A review of Industry 4.0 through machine learning," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    7. Bahmani, Navid & Bhatnagar, Amit & Gauri, Dinesh, 2023. "Firms’ responses to a black swan macro-crisis: Should they be socially responsible or fiscally conservative?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    8. Marc Lim, Weng, 2023. "Transformative marketing in the new normal: A novel practice-scholarly integrative review of business-to-business marketing mix challenges, opportunities, and solutions," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    9. Battaglia, Daniele & Galati, Francesco & Molinaro, Margherita & Pessot, Elena, 2023. "Full, hybrid and platform complementarity: Exploring the industry 4.0 technology-performance link," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 263(C).
    10. Bai, Chunguang & Dallasega, Patrick & Orzes, Guido & Sarkis, Joseph, 2020. "Industry 4.0 technologies assessment: A sustainability perspective," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 229(C).
    11. Bartoloni, Sara & Calò, Ernesto & Marinelli, Luca & Pascucci, Federica & Dezi, Luca & Carayannis, Elias & Revel, Gian Marco & Gregori, Gian Luca, 2022. "Towards designing society 5.0 solutions: The new Quintuple Helix - Design Thinking approach to technology," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    12. Peerally, Jahan Ara & Santiago, Fernando & De Fuentes, Claudia & Moghavvemi, Sedigheh, 2022. "Towards a firm-level technological capability framework to endorse and actualize the Fourth Industrial Revolution in developing countries," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(10).
    13. Bianco, Débora & Bueno, Adauto & Godinho Filho, Moacir & Latan, Hengky & Miller Devós Ganga, Gilberto & Frank, Alejandro G. & Chiappetta Jabbour, Charbel Jose, 2023. "The role of Industry 4.0 in developing resilience for manufacturing companies during COVID-19," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 256(C).
    14. Eleonora Di Maria & Marco Bettiol & Mauro Capestro, 2023. "How Italian Fashion Brands Beat COVID-19: Manufacturing, Sustainability, and Digitalization," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-20, January.
    15. Jiang, Yangyang & Stylos, Nikolaos, 2021. "Triggers of consumers’ enhanced digital engagement and the role of digital technologies in transforming the retail ecosystem during COVID-19 pandemic," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 172(C).
    16. Vinay Singh & Brijesh Nanavati & Arpan Kumar Kar & Agam Gupta, 2023. "How to Maximize Clicks for Display Advertisement in Digital Marketing? A Reinforcement Learning Approach," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 25(4), pages 1621-1638, August.
    17. Morimura, Fumikazu & Sakagawa, Yuji, 2023. "The intermediating role of big data analytics capability between responsive and proactive market orientations and firm performance in the retail industry," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    18. Mustak, Mekhail & Salminen, Joni & Plé, Loïc & Wirtz, Jochen, 2021. "Artificial intelligence in marketing: Topic modeling, scientometric analysis, and research agenda," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 389-404.
    19. Calış Duman, Meral & Akdemir, Bunyamin, 2021. "A study to determine the effects of industry 4.0 technology components on organizational performance," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    20. Barbara Aquilani & Michela Piccarozzi & Tindara Abbate & Anna Codini, 2020. "The Role of Open Innovation and Value Co-creation in the Challenging Transition from Industry 4.0 to Society 5.0: Toward a Theoretical Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-21, October.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:ijmark:v:2021:y:2021:i:4:d:10.1007_s43039-021-00031-y. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.