Resumen

KWARTENG-AMANIAMPONG, Emmanuel  y  TAIT, Madele. From digital adoption to strategic integration: Amplifying customer experience and marketing performance through synergistic integration of digital marketing and e-commerce supply chains. S. Afr. j. econ. manag. sci. [online]. 2026, vol.29, n.1, pp.1-12. ISSN 2222-3436.  https://doi.org/10.4102/sajems.v29i1.6434.

BACKGROUND: The digital transformation imperative has accelerated organisational change, compelling micro-, small- and medium-enterprises (MSMEs) to rapidly integrate digital marketing with e-commerce and supply chain operations. AIM: This study investigated how the integration of digital marketing strategies with e-commerce supply chain operations enhances customer experience and marketing performance among South African MSMEs in the post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) digital economy. SETTING: This study focused on 244 MSMEs in South Africa's four largest cities. METHOD: A quantitative design employing confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modelling (SEM) tested six hypotheses examining relationships among digital marketing, e-commerce supply chain, customer experience and marketing performance. RESULTS: All hypotheses were supported. Digital marketing significantly influenced e-commerce supply chain operations, customer experience and marketing performance (β = 0.89). E-commerce supply chains significantly affected customer experience and marketing performance. Customer experience has demonstrated a strong influence on marketing performance. CONCLUSION: This study extends the diffusion of innovation theory (DOI) by demonstrating how diffusion of innovation attributes - relative advantage, compatibility and observability - manifest in MSME digital adoption within developing economies. The findings of this study reveal that strategic integration, rather than mere adoption, of digital marketing with e-commerce supply chains creates synergistic effects that amplify both customer experience and marketing performance. CONTRIBUTION: This study uniquely demonstrates that integrated digital marketing and supply chain digitalisation produce synergistic effects on customer experience and marketing performance, exceeding isolated adoption outcomes - providing empirical evidence that strategic integration, rather than resource intensity, drives competitive advantage for emerging market MSMEs.

Palabras clave : digital marketing strategies; supply chain operations; customer experience; marketing performance; diffusion of innovation theory; MSMEs.

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