The Role of Digital Transformation in Marketing Strategies for Services and Cultural Goods: Case Studies of Snapp and Persian Carpet with an Emphasis on Tourism Potential

This article provides a comparative analysis of service and goods marketing strategies in the context of digital transformation, focusing on implications for sustainable regional development and tourism. It highlights distinctions between intangible, heterogeneous, inseparable, and perishable services versus tangible, standardized goods (Rust & Huang, 2014). Using 4P and 7P frameworks, the study analyzes two Iranian cases: Snapp, a mobile digital service platform integral to smart cities and traveler experience, and the Persian hand-woven carpet, a cultural heritage product with tourism potential. The paper argues that traditional marketing models, which treat services and goods as separate domains, may not fully capture to address the complexity of modern tourism. Drawing on research showing that services can boost demand for goods (Ariu et al., 2020), it proposes hybrid strategies integrating technology, service quality, and cultural authenticity. Findings indicate digital technologies can enhance customer satisfaction and competitiveness. The paper advocates hybrid approaches to promote cultural and digital tourism, support heritage preservation, and contribute to the knowledge economy, especially in smart destinations. These insights have implications for policy, strategy, and governance in tourism and cultural sectors (Kotler et al, 2017).