International Journal of Management Reviews, Vol.

20, 227–254 (2018)

DOI: 10.1111/ijmr.12128

SMEs and Marketing: A Systematic

Literature Review
Roberta Bocconcelli, Marco Cioppi,1 Fulvio Fortezza,2 Barbara Francioni,
Alessandro Pagano, Elisabetta Savelli and Simone Splendiani3
Department of Economics, Society, Politics, University of Urbino, Via Saffi, 42-61029, Urbino, Italy, 1 Department of
Communication Sciences, Humanities and International Studies: History, Cultures Languages, Literatures, Arts,
Media, University of Urbino, Italy, 2 Department of Economics and Management, University of Ferrara, Italy, and
3
Department of Economics, University of Perugia, Italy
Corresponding author email: [email protected]

This paper presents a systematic review of recent academic literature analysing the
role, organization and management of marketing activities in small and medium-sized
enterprises (SMEs). To this end, 310 articles published between 2006 and 2015 in 69 main
journals devoted to small firms/entrepreneurship and management/marketing fields
were analysed. This review shows that SMEs’ marketing has received great attention
in both management and marketing literature in recent years. Findings reveal, on
the one hand, the emerging role of networks and information and communication
technologies in marketing behaviour by SMEs, and on the other hand a research gap in
terms of specific marketing practices. Entrepreneurial marketing has been used as the
main conceptual framework in reviewed studies, even if findings overall still point out a
distance between the theoretical bases of reviewed contributions and the study of SMEs’
marketing behaviour and practices. Therefore, future research on the role of resources,
relationships and networks could benefit from the combination of theories developed
within the field of entrepreneurship with other approaches such as the resource-based
view, the dynamic capabilities theory and the Industrial Marketing and Purchasing
(IMP) framework.

Introduction competitive advantage. The literature also reveals

a growing awareness about the positive relationship
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are between marketing practices and SMEs’ performance
considered an important engine for economic growth (Brooksbank et al. 1999; Cox et al. 1994; Gilmore
in terms of both employment and gross domestic 2011; Verhees and Meulenberg 2004).
product (Edinburgh Group 2013). For instance, in The relevance of this research field has increased
2012, the 20 million European SMEs accounted recently, yielding both theoretical and empirical
for more than 86 million employees (66.5% of the contributions. From the early 1990s onwards, special
total) and 57.6% of the gross value added generated groups of interest within the main marketing asso-
by the private and non-financial sectors (European ciations (Entrepreneurial Marketing SIG – AMA1 ;
Commission 2013). Entrepreneurial & Small Business Marketing SIG –
A number of authors over the years (Brooksbank Academy of Marketing2 ) arose, with the aim of
et al. 2003; Keh et al. 2007; Romano and Ratnatunga
1995) have highlighted the increasing relevance 1
https://www.ama.org/academics/Pages/Entrepeneurial%
of marketing for the success of SMEs, noting that 252520Marketing.aspx (accessed 4 November 2015).
2
the adoption of both a marketing concept and https://www.academyofmarketing.org/entrepreneurial-
practices could help SMEs achieve a long-term small-business-marketing-sig/sig-event (accessed 4 Novem-
ber 2015).


C 2016 British Academy of Management and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 9600 Garsington
Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA
228 R. Bocconcelli et al.

investigating the marketing–entrepreneurship in- objectives and the literature review methodology,
terface (Bjerke and Hultman 2002; Fayolle 2007; outlining the journal selection criteria and the main
Sethna et al. 2013). Moreover, specific patterns and steps adopted in the examination of article contents.
approaches implemented by SMEs with regard to The fourth section develops the analysis of selected
marketing activities have been recognized in various articles, which are grouped around the marketing
empirical studies (Fuller 1994; Gilmore et al. 2001; concept (i.e. small firm MO) and the main mar-
Hogarth-Scott et al. 1996; O’Dwyer et al. 2009). keting processes: marketing information, strategic
During recent decades, several phenomena, such as marketing, and operational marketing. The fifth
globalization, increasing competition and the finan- section discusses the results of the literature review,
cial crisis, caused important market changes, which highlighting research achievements and emerging
in turn affected SMEs’ behaviour and ability to com- topics. The sixth section suggests directions for future
pete. Within this scenario, there is, to our knowledge, research, while the final section highlights limitations
a lack of systematic reviews providing an in-depth of the study and provides concluding remarks.
understanding of how SMEs relate to their markets.
Some contributions have reviewed existing literature
focusing on specific marketing topics, such as market
orientation (MO) (Golann 2006), the role of network- SMEs and marketing: the context
ing in competition between SMEs (O’Donnell 2014) of analysis
and the role of marketing in the internationalization
process of SMEs (Papadopoulos and Martı́n Martı́n There is no standard universal definition of what
2011; Styles and Seymour 2006). Others have focused constitutes an SME. According to the European
on how SMEs relate to their markets, offering concep- Commission (2003), SMEs are those firms with fewer
tual developments mainly within the entrepreneurial than 250 employees and have an annual turnover not
marketing field (Gilmore 2011; Gilmore et al. 2013; exceeding €50 million or an annual balance sheet not
Hills and Hultman 2011; Kraus et al. 2012; Miles exceeding €43 million. In countries of the East and
et al. 2015). Moreover, few papers have presented a Far East, four criteria have been generally used to de-
critical analysis of the background literature on SME fine an SME: number of employees, annual turnover,
marketing (O’Donnell 2011). Therefore, understand- assets and capital. In these countries, however,
ing of how the concept of marketing is seen and put sector-specific criteria are additionally used, leading
into practice in SMEs is still sketchy, remaining an to different definitions of SMEs among APEC mem-
issue of interest among academics and practitioners bers (APEC 2010). In the USA, the Small Business
(Blackburn and Kovalainen 2009; Reijonen 2010). Administration provides some ‘size standards’ in
To fill this gap, a systematic review of marketing and terms of number of employees and annual turnover.
SMEs is needed, regardless of specific approaches On average, companies that have fewer than 500
and marketing topics. Hence, we conducted a detailed employees are considered to be SMEs, but big differ-
examination of the role, organization and manage- ences in terms of turnover and number of employees
ment of marketing in SMEs, through the adoption of a are found among different industries (US SBA 2010).
general framework widely recognized in the market- Therefore, industry is the criterion that distinguishes
ing literature, which encompasses both strategic and European SMEs from Asian and North American
operational marketing processes and the specificities ones.
of SMEs’ market approach. This provides useful Despite these differences, it is agreed in the
insights into emerging marketing behaviour and prac- worldwide business literature that SMEs show some
tices among SMEs that could successfully meet the common qualitative features, such as limited finan-
challenges of the current complex market scenario. cial, human, material and informational resources
To this end, 310 articles published between 2006 (Rogers 1990; Shrader et al. 1989; Welsh and White
and 2015 in 69 main journals devoted to the small 1981). Under these constraints, they tend to be more
firms/entrepreneurship and marketing/management creative, innovative and flexible than larger ones
fields, have been analysed. (Evans and Moutinho 1999). Moreover, they are
The paper is divided into seven sections. The evolutionary, face continuous uncertainty, do not
second section presents the boundaries of the study, plan formally (Bennett 1993) and have a highly
highlighting some core concepts about marketing personalized management style (Stokes and Fitchew
and SMEs. The third section focuses on the research 1997).


C 2016 British Academy of Management and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
SMEs and Marketing 229

While highlighting these qualitative characteris- situation-specific without pre-planning activity. It

tics, researchers tend to examine SMEs as a ‘unitary implies the use of specific practices – in line with
object of analysis’, rarely distinguishing between the decision-making processes of SMEs – and
‘small’ and ‘medium’ size. Attempts made in some emphasizes the role of the entrepreneur, whose
European studies to consider medium-sized firms professional experience, creativity, propensity for
as an autonomous conceptual category are few innovation, dynamism, intuition and natural ability
(Coltorti et al. 2013; Muzyka et al. 1997; Snaith and to listen to customers are seen as primary sources
Walker 2002). Most marketing studies devoted to of competitiveness (Mc Cartan-Quinn and Carson
SMEs have made no distinction between small and 2003; Shaw and Carson 1995). It also emphasizes
medium-sized enterprises (Gilmore et al. 2013). relationships and networks as fundamental elements
Although large firms have always received greater in the management of the SME–market interface
attention, interest in the study of marketing in the (Gilmore et al. 2001; Hanna and Walsh 2008;
context of small business rose at the beginning of the Zontanos and Anderson 2004). Recently EM has
1980s. Previously, marketing theories on SMEs were been defined as ‘a spirit, an orientation, as well as a
based on the application of marketing models used process of passionately pursuing opportunities and
for large companies, which considered small firms to launching and growing ventures that create perceived
be only scaled-down versions of larger ones (Carson customer value through relationships by employing
and Cromie 1989; Chaston and Mangles 2002). innovativeness, creativity, selling, market immersion,
Since then, various contributions have emerged, networking and flexibility’ (Sethna et al. 2013,
often focused on specific topics, notably an increasing p. xix). EM thus developed over the years as a
effort to synthesize the entrepreneurial connotation comprehensive concept, particularly able to fit the
of marketing in SMEs (Sethna et al. 2013). Two main small business context, but also fruitful for any
interconnected streams of studies can be identified: company facing the current market challenges, as it
analysis of the peculiarities of SMEs’ marketing is based on the involvement of different capabilities
behaviour and practices and how they impact on their in the management of marketing activities (Fillis
performance; and the attempt to develop an ad hoc 2010; Hills et al. 2008; Hultman and Hills 2011;
marketing approach for SMEs. Miles et al. 2011; Morris et al. 2002).
With regard to the first group of studies, re- Researchers involved in the development of the
search focuses on the analysis of SMEs’ subjective EM concept tend to adopt a normative approach,
attributes, such as the specific nature of their en- recognizing it as the more appropriate marketing
trepreneurial behaviour and activity (Becherer et al. approach for SMEs, based on the traditional strengths
2003; Carson and Gilmore 2000; Hills et al. 2008; of entrepreneurial activity, such as innovativeness
Jones and Rowley 2011; Leppard and McDonald and creativity, as well as on the potential of networks
1991; Morris and Lewis 1995) or the ‘owner- to enhance SMEs’ marketing management. However,
manager’s attitude to, experience of and expertise in some cases, EM seems to fail to capture the actual
in marketing’ (Mc Cartan-Quinn and Carson 2003, behaviour of SMEs with respect to their markets
p. 206). Others focus on the typical limitations (Gilmore 2011; Hill and Wright 2000; Hills et al.
of SMEs (e.g. poor cash flow, lack of marketing 2008; Jones and Rowley 2011; Stokes 2000). Recent
specialists), which impair their ability to exploit contributions attempt to shed light on the contextual
marketing potential (Carson and Cromie 1989; dimension of entrepreneurship–marketing interface
Gilmore et al. 2001; Merrilees et al. 2011; Reijonen along the business–life cycle (Lam and Harker 2015).
2010; Verhees and Meulenberg 2004). As a result,
marketing processes in SMEs seem to be simpler,
more informal and more instinctive than in larger Approach to the review
firms (Carson 2000, 2001; Gilmore et al. 2001) and
specific marketing practices emerge (Carson et al. Articles for analysis in this study were gathered from
1995; Davis et al. 1985; Hill and Wright 2001; journals for the ten-year period 2006–2015. This time
Reijonen and Laukkanen 2010). range is in line with other literature reviews (Gorman
The second group of studies engaged with the et al. 1997; Tracey 2014). Moreover, it encompasses
development of an ad hoc marketing approach a rich and fast-changing scenario for SMEs: from the
for SMEs, given their specific characteristics: en- early 2000s, when SMEs began to consolidate their
trepreneurial marketing (EM). It is characteristically position in the market by exploiting the development


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230 R. Bocconcelli et al.

Table 1. Selected journals

Small business journals

1. Journal of Business Venturing 6. International Small Business Journal

2. Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice 7. Journal of International Entrepreneurship
3. Journal of Small Business Management 8. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development
4. Small Business Economics 9. Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal
5. Entrepreneurship & Regional Development 10. Journal of Research in Marketing and Entrepreneurship

Marketing/management journals

Journals listed from Hult et al. (2009) ranking:

1. Journal of Marketing 26. Journal of International Marketing
2. Journal of Marketing Research 27. Journal of Interactive Marketing
3. Journal of Consumer Research 28. International Marketing Review
4. Marketing Science 29. Journal of Business
5. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 30. Quantitative Marketing and Economics
6. Harvard Business Review 31. International Journal of Market Research
7. Journal of Retailing 32. Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing
8. Management Science 33. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing
9. International Journal of Research in Marketing 34. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales management
10. Journal of Consumer Psychology 35. Marketing Management
11. Marketing Letters 36. Journal of Business Ethics
12. Advances in Consumer Research 37. Journal of Economic Psychology
13. Journal of Business Research 38. Journal of Services Marketing
14. Sloan Management Review 39. Decision Sciences
15. Journal of Advertising 40. Journal of Consumer Marketing
16. European Journal of Marketing 41. Business Horizons
17. Psychology and Marketing 42. AMA Proceedings
18. Journal of Public Policy and Marketing 43. Journal of Marketing Education
19. Journal of Service Research 44. Journal of Global Marketing
20. Journal of Advertising Research 45. Journal of Consumer Policy
21. Journal of International Business Studies 46. Journal of Consumer Affairs
22. Industrial Marketing Management 47. Journal of Business Logistics
23. Journal of Product Innovation Management 48. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice
24. California Management Review 49. Journal of Nonprofit & Public Sector Marketing
25. Journal of Marketing Management 50. Services Marketing Quarterly

Management Journals listed from the Financial Times’ top 45 journals used in Business School Research Ranking (2012) not included in
Hult et al. (2009) ranking:
1. Academy of Management Journal 6. MIS Quarterly (Management Information Systems research
2. Academy of Management Perspectives Centre, University of Minnesota)
3. Academy of Management Review 7. Organization Science
4. Administrative Science Quarterly 8. Organization Studies
5. Journal of Management Studies 9. Strategic Management Journal

of the international economy and the increasing use With regard to the former area, ten small business
of new technologies, to the present crisis that chal- journals were considered on the basis of their recog-
lenges the ability of SMEs to compete successfully nized scholarly contribution in this field. It is worth
(Bumgardner et al. 2011). Therefore, the period of noting, however, that unique and shared rankings of
the review is long enough to identify emerging trends, entrepreneurship- and small business-related journals
patterns and themes in the area of SME marketing. are not available; moreover, publications on the rank-
The review methodology consists of three distinct ing of entrepreneurship journals are rare (Carraher
steps: (1) selection of journals; (2) development of and Paridon 2008–2009; Fried 2003; Katz and Boal
key categories and analysis framework; (3) selection 2003; MacMillan 1993). Therefore, we used the cri-
of articles. terion of the ‘core journal’, which is widely applied
Selection of journals was based on the assessment within the literature of a discipline (Crane 1972; Nee-
of two research areas: ‘small business management’ ley 1981; Oromaner 1977), and we selected those
and ‘marketing/management’ (see Table 1). journals that are usually considered important by


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SMEs and Marketing 231

scholars because they clearly reflect the essence of the This framework consists of two distinct dimensions
discipline. The selected SME-related journals were: (see Figure 1).
Journal of Business Venturing, Entrepreneurship: Market orientation includes articles concerning
Theory and Practice, Journal of Small Business Man- how SMEs manage their relationships with markets.
agement, Small Business Economics, Entrepreneur- Starting from the seminal studies of Kohli and
ship & Regional Development, International Small Jaworski (1990), Narver and Slater (1990), Jaworski
Business Journal, Journal of International En- and Kohli (1993) and Kohli et al. (1993), MO has
trepreneurship, Journal of Small Business and Enter- been widely studied, along with different perspectives
prise Development, Strategic Entrepreneurship Jour- within the small business literature, becoming a
nal and Journal of Research in Marketing and En- highly debated issue that takes into account both its
trepreneurship. The first four journals appear among potential relevance for the success of SMEs (Brooks-
the top entrepreneurship journal rankings proposed by bank 1991; Fillis 2002; Möller and Anttila 1987;
John Carroll University and MacMillan (1993), Katz Weinrauch et al. 1991) and the specific way in which
and Boal (2003), Carraher and Paridon (2008–2009), they perceive and implement MO (Mc Cartan-Quinn
except for Small Business Economics, which does not and Carson 2003; Möller and Anttila 1987).
appear in MacMillan’s list. Journal of Business Ven- Basic marketing processes includes articles
turing and Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice focused on the main marketing processes, namely:
are also listed in the Financial Times (2012) top 45
journals. The other journals were added for the sake r marketing information activities: collecting, clas-
of data completeness, although they are not listed in sifying, analysing, evaluating and distributing rel-
any journal ranking or appear in only a few of them. evant, timely and accurate information to market
In particular, Journal of Research in Marketing and decision-makers (Kotler 1997)
Entrepreneurship was selected as it is strictly focused r strategic marketing activities: customer segmen-
on the issue under investigation here. A review of all tation and positioning activities (Armstrong et al.
articles in these journals was conducted through the 2009)
examination of their title and abstract. r operational marketing (price, product and brand,
As concerns ‘marketing/management’, 59 journals communication, distribution and sales): tactics and
were selected from the top 50 marketing journal methods focused on the use of the marketing mix
ranking proposed by Hult and colleagues (2009) and to establish strong positioning in the target markets
the Financial Times top 45 journals used in Business (Armstrong et al. 2009).
School Research ranking (Financial Times 2012).
More precisely, all marketing journals ranked by Hult This framework seems to reveal an intention to
and colleagues (2009) were analysed, along with all explore the marketing–SMEs interface through the
the management area journals in the Financial Times lens of traditional marketing conceptualization. It
list that were not included in Hult and colleagues’ should not be seen as an attempt to apply large firm
ranking. ‘Marketing/management’ journals were models to the small firm context, but rather it denotes
reviewed on the basis of specific keywords, such recognition of a marketing definition that can be
as ‘small firm’, ‘small business’, ‘family firm’, interpreted in different ways in large and small and
‘entrepreneur’, ‘entrepreneurship’, ‘SME’, in their medium-sized firms. Moreover, it helps to discover
title and abstract. whether SMEs are introducing specific marketing
During the second step, an analysis framework practices while dealing with increasingly complex
was developed, in line with the previously mentioned markets.
research objectives. The framework adopted ensures As acknowledged by Pittaway and colleagues
inclusiveness with regard to SME marketing themes, (2004), this method has some recognized weaknesses:
as it starts from a broad definition of the marketing for example, it is dependent on the quality of the writ-
concept, which encompasses both the MO approach ten abstract, but it is also useful to create a thematic
and the main strategic and operational marketing structure for a more detailed review. Nevertheless,
processes. Therefore, it represents the most com- when abstracts did not allow a comprehensive coding,
prehensive structure for our review objectives, as the content of the paper was taken into account.
it is able to explain the specificities of marketing This systematic review allowed us to identify a
activities, as well as the way SMEs relate to their total of 580 papers. However, we agreed with Deng
markets and face the changing market scenario. (2012, p. 410), who in his critical review stated that,


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232 R. Bocconcelli et al.

Figure 1. Framework of analysis

‘even though every effort was made to be thorough changes in the SME domain (Golann 2006; Roach
in the search, the possibility remains that we might et al. 2014; Tang and Hull 2012).
have unintentionally missed some articles’. Market orientation can be studied from two major
In the third step, the collection of articles was then perspectives: a cultural perspective, which defines
narrowed so that we included only articles specifically MO ‘in terms of an organization’s customer orien-
focused on marketing and SME dimensions, themes tation, competitor orientation and its inter-functional
and related topics. For example, studies generally coordination’, and a behavioural perspective, which
dealing with internationalization, entrepreneurship considers MO as a behavioural response of the firm
and innovation strategy, as well as any articles in to the competitive dynamics of the environment
which the relationship between marketing and SMEs (Naidoo 2010, p. 1312).
was not the primary focus, were excluded. At the end This conceptualization emerges also in our review,
of this step, a data set of 310 articles was compiled: where articles were grouped into two main areas.
192 articles were selected from SME-related journals, According to the MO cultural perspective, the first
and 118 were drawn from ‘marketing/management’ area encompasses articles explicitly focused on the
journals. Table 2 presents a summary of the data set. MO construct and its ‘upgrading’ to entrepreneurial
marketing orientation (EMO). According to the
behavioural conceptualization of MO, the second
Literature review group of articles includes those that deal with the
specific features of the way in which SMEs act in
Market orientation
their markets (see Table 3).
Market orientation and, more generally, the way the In the first group, 60 articles explicitly refer to
marketing concept is practised in the small business the MO construct. Ten additional contributions were
context have been extensively investigated over recent analysed in this section, even if they were focused
years, since the adoption of a market-oriented ap- on some operational marketing activities, since they
proach is generally considered critical for managing explicitly recalled the MO construct in the title of the


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SMEs and Marketing 233

Table 2. Number of selected papers

Small business journals Marketing/management journals No. of papers

Market orientation 77 43 120

Basic marketing processes
Marketing information activities 19 14 33
Strategic marketing activities 20 16 36
Operational marketing
Price 1 1 2
Product and brand 15 (Product) 11 (Product) 26
7 (Brand) 11 (Brand) 18
Communication 12 4 16
Distribution and sales 6 (Distribution) 5 (Distribution) 11
35 (Sales) 13 (Sales) 48
Total 192 118 310

Table 3. Summary of key articles examining market orientation

Main areas

1. MO construct in SMEs

Main topics Key references

(i) MO constructs Covin and Wales 2012; Dada and Watson 2013; Fillis 2010; Franco et al. 2014; Gilmore 2011; Gross
et al. 2014; Hills and Hultman 2011; Hills et al. 2008; Hong et al. 2013; Hultman and Hills 2011;
Jones 2010; Jones and Rowley 2009; Jones and Rowley 2011; Jones et al. 2008; Kraus et al. 2012;
Ledwith and O’Dwyer 2008; Miles et al. 2011; Morgan et al. 2015; Morrish 2011; Raju et al. 2012;
Sullivan Mort et al. 2012; Golann 2006
(ii) Relationship between MO Alpkan et al. 2007; Armario et al. 2008; Avlonitis and Salavou 2007; Baker and Sinkula 2009; Boso
constructs and SMEs’ et al. 2013; Brettel et al. 2009; Brockman et al. 2012; Dibrell et al. 2011; Hau et al. 2013; Kocak and
performance Abimbola 2009; Lado et al. 2013; Laforet 2008; Lechner and Gudmundsson 2014; Ledwith and
O’Dwyer 2009; Li et al. 2008; Lisboa et al. 2011; Martin et al. 2009; Naidoo 2010; Nasution et al.
2011; Parkman et al. 2012; Reijonen et al. 2012; Reijonen et al. 2014; Roach et al. 2014; Ruokonen
et al. 2008; Solé 2013; Spillana et al. 2013; Tang and Hull 2012

2. SMEs’ practical orientation toward markets

Main topics Key references

(iii) Marketing practices, Bocconcelli et al. 2015; Brush et al. 2009; Jayawarna et al. 2014; Jones et al. 2013; Marta et al. 2008;
activities and contexts Menelec and Jones 2015; O’Cass and Ngo 2011; O’Cass and Sok 2014; O’Donnell 2014; O’Dwyer
et al. 2009; Parry et al. 2012; Reijonen 2010; Resnick et al. 2011; Walsh and Lipinski 2009
(iv) Marketing and Abebe 2014; Agndal and Chetty 2007; Bell and Loane 2010; Bradley et al. 2006; Carrizo Moreira 2009;
internationalization Celuch and Murphy 2010; Celuch et al. 2007; Chung 2014; Ellis 2011; Freeman et al. 2006; Gamboa
processes and Brouthers 2008; Moon and Jain 2007; Sullivan Mort and Weerawardena 2006; Terjesen and Elam
2009

paper. This made a total of 70 articles to consider. MO and entrepreneurial orientation (EO) (Jones
Within this group, two main topics arose: (i) the and Rowley 2011; Solé 2013), considered as typical
conceptualization of the MO and EMO constructs; entrepreneurial abilities such as recognizing, explor-
and (ii) the relationship between marketing and ing and exploiting opportunities, taking risks and
SMEs’ performance. developing an organization’s competitive advantage
Marketing orientation (i) reflects the application based on innovation and change (Morrish 2011).
of the marketing concept that is a philosophical EMO was thus proposed in order to make sense of the
standpoint emphasizing competitiveness and profit, peculiar and more fruitful way in which SMEs un-
based on the identification of consumer needs and dertake marketing, i.e. EM. In our review, a relevant
the delivery of compatible offerings that are better number of articles centred on the conceptualization
than those of their competitors. Entrepreneurial or deepening of the EM concept (Franco et al. 2014;
marketing orientation reflects the synergy between Gilmore 2011; Hills and Hultman 2011; Jones and


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234 R. Bocconcelli et al.

Rowley 2009, 2011; Kraus et al. 2012; Sullivan Mort With reference to (iii) marketing practices, activ-
et al. 2012). It is important to note that EM has been ities and context, many studies concern how SMEs
developed mostly by researchers belonging to special actually act in their markets. Small and medium-sized
groups of interest in marketing and entrepreneurship, enterprises’ marketing in terms of practical imple-
many of whose articles have been published in the mentation is acknowledged as specific and innovative
Journal of Research in Marketing and Entrepreneur- (O’Dwyer et al. 2009; Reijonen 2010; Resnick et al.
ship. Moreover, generally speaking, with reference to 2011). Resnick and colleagues (2011) showed that
MO, it also must be noted that effort has been mostly the key marketing activities in which SMEs were
directed at conceptualizing the construct, while involved concerned customer engagement, network-
less attention has been devoted to its application to ing and word of mouth communication. Similarly,
specific marketing processes such as communication Reijonen (2010) found that SMEs’ marketing was in-
(Jones 2010), product development (Hong et al. volved mainly in creating and maintaining customer
2013; Ledwith and O’Dwyer 2008; Morgan et al. relationships and increasing sales by exploiting ef-
2015), branding (Renton et al. 2015) and distribution fective communication processes. These specificities
(Dada and Watson 2013; Jones et al. 2008). have induced many researchers to delve into the orga-
With regard to the relationship between mar- nizational problem that SMEs face in making the most
keting and performance (ii), a number of articles of their markets, from both an intra-organizational
investigated the effect of MO and EMO on SMEs’ and an extra-organizational point of view. In partic-
performance, generally agreeing on its positive out- ular, it clearly emerges that SMEs rely on intense
comes. Different contributions specifically focused processes of networking in order to overcome the
on the business performance of SMEs (Alpkan et al. scarcity of resources and that they need to exploit
2007; Brettel et al. 2009; Brockman et al. 2012; Li specific internal resources and capabilities linked to
et al. 2008; Lechner and Gudmundsson 2014; Lonial networking activities (Jones et al. 2013; Marta et al.
and Carter 2015; Roach et al. 2014; Solé 2013), while 2008; Menelec and Jones 2015; O’Cass and Sok
others linked the constructs to SMEs’ performance 2014; O’Donnell 2014; Walsh and Lipinski 2009).
within certain aspects, in terms of growth (Reijonen Moreover, authors have highlighted that marketing
et al. 2012, 2014), internationalization (Armario et al. practices enhance SMEs’ performance in different
2008; Kocak and Abimbola 2009; Lisboa et al. 2011; market scenarios – in emerging markets (O’Cass and
Ruokonen et al. 2008) and innovativeness (Avlonitis Ngo 2011), as well as during periods of economic
and Salavou 2007; Baker and Sinkula 2009; Boso downturn or in their own different growth phases
et al. 2013; Dibrell et al. 2011; Ledwith and O’Dwyer (Brush et al. 2009; Jayawarna et al. 2014; Parry et al.
2008, 2009; Naidoo 2010). For example, a positive 2012).
association between MO and firm innovativeness With reference to marketing and internationaliza-
has been found, as market-oriented firms are close tion (iv), many articles deal with the general way
to the customer base and able to meet changing in which SMEs act in their market linked to inter-
demands and they constantly monitor the actions nationalization processes, with particular reference
of competitors (Dibrell et al. 2011; Naidoo 2010). to the entrepreneurial and networked dimensions
Similar findings have emerged on the relationship of internationalization (Ellis 2011; Gamboa and
between MO and new product development (NPD) Brouthers 2008; Sullivan Mort and Weerawardena
performance (Avlonitis and Salavou 2007; Boso et al. 2006; Terjesen and Elam 2009).
2013; Ledwith and O’Dwyer 2008, 2009). Finally, re- Finally, in a significant number of papers dealing
cent works investigated the relationship between MO with the two areas of MO under investigation,
and SME performance within emerging countries, in specific enabling factors for marketing in SMEs have
light of their increasing role in the global economy been emphasized, notably the role of relationships,
(Hau et al. 2013; Lado et al. 2013; Spillana et al. networks and networking abilities and of new infor-
2013). mation technology. With respect to organizational
In the second group of articles, 60 papers were factors, most of the research agrees on the relevance
analysed dealing with the specific features of the of interorganizational processes to increase market
way in which SMEs act in their markets. Within knowledge and the search for and exploitation of
this group, two main topics were identified: (iii) market opportunity. Relationships and networks are
marketing practices, activities and contexts; (iv) seen as crucial for SMEs in their market (Agndal and
marketing and internationalization processes. Chetty 2007; Bocconcelli et al. 2015; Bradley et al.


C 2016 British Academy of Management and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
SMEs and Marketing 235

2006; Carrizo Moreira 2009; Chung 2014; Freeman (CRM) (Alshawi et al. 2011; Hutchinson et al.
et al. 2006; Jones et al. 2013). Networking is thus 2015) and novel ICT-enabled research (Loane et al.
considered a core capability in SMEs (Gilmore 2011; 2006).
O’Donnell 2014; Sullivan Mort and Weerawardena With respect to papers dealing with relevant
2006). Similarly, in relation to new information factors – mainly related to SMEs’ features – shaping
technologies, Internet and web-based technologies the main patterns of knowledge and acquisition
are widely recognized as particularly useful for processes (ii), the characteristics of human resources
implementing effective marketing in SMEs (Celuch within SMEs are acknowledged, on the one hand, as
and Murphy 2010; Celuch et al. 2007; Moon and impairing this process. Some scholars pointed out
Jain 2007), in particular e-commerce and Web that the entrepreneur’s prior beliefs may influence the
2.0 (Abebe 2014; Bell and Loane 2010; Jones value perception of new information (Parker 2006),
2010). as well as her/his ability to recognize market opportu-
nities (Vaghely and Julien 2010). On the other hand,
a significant number of studies emphasized the pos-
Marketing information activities
itive role of networks, notably with regard to SMEs’
Marketing information activities have received increasing knowledge of foreign markets in interna-
wide attention, reflecting increased interest in tionalization processes (Daskalopoulou and Petrou
analysing how SMEs perceive market research and 2010; Musteen et al. 2014; Tolstoy 2009, 2010) and
market knowledge access. The issue of market external partners acting as advisers (Berry et al.
information access and collection is covered in 2006). For instance, Tolstoy (2009, 2010) found that
33 papers, published mainly in recent years. SME’s dependence on customer network knowledge
The studies reviewed deal with two main topics: had a positive impact on knowledge combination,
(i) the relationship between marketing information which in turn is an important activity empowering
activities and SMEs’ performance; and (ii) the main knowledge creation in foreign markets. Musteen and
factors influencing the information management colleagues (2014) found that SMEs in transitional
process (see Table 4). economies significantly benefited from diverse and
With respect to the relationship between marketing strong network ties via increased knowledge of
information activities and SMEs’ performance (i), foreign markets and improved performance in such
various studies (Keh et al. 2007; Simsek et al. 2009; markets.
Tanev and Bailetti 2008) in our sample consistently
found that access to and utilization of relevant infor-
Strategic marketing activities
mation had a positive effect on SMEs’ performance.
For instance, Tanev and Bailetti (2008) explained Although 36 articles were coded as dealing with
that, the greater the use of competitive intelligence strategic marketing activities, few considered the
information, the greater the SMEs’ innovation perfor- issue of marketing strategies adopted by SMEs in the
mance in terms of newly launched products, processes sense of ‘traditional’ segmentation and positioning
and services. Keh and colleagues (2007) revealed a strategies (Ndubisi and Matanda 2011; Tang and
positive correlation between acquisition and utiliza- Hull 2012). This is not surprising, since research
tion by SMEs of marketing mix-related information reflects the common perception among SMEs of
and performance. Much attention is drawn to the the blending of business/competitive and marketing
difference between the collection of formal and infor- strategies, especially with regard to those involved in
mal information: although several studies highlighted business-to-business (B2B) relationships (Merrilees
that the majority of SMEs do not adopt formal market et al. 2011) or engaged in e-business development
research activities, more structured approaches, such (Bengtsson et al. 2007). By contrast, the strategic
as potential and existing customer surveys (Reynolds dimension of SMEs’ activity came up in a number of
and Lancaster 2006; West and Noel 2009), seem to articles dealing with international strategies adoption
achieve better performance than informal processes by SMEs. In this respect, the papers reviewed can
(Chaparro-Peláez et al. 2014; Kawakami et al. be grouped into three areas: (i) international market
2012; Simsek et al. 2009; Song et al. 2010). Some selection (IMS), segmentation and targeting; (ii)
authors stressed how such an approach enhances factors influencing marketing strategies; and (iii) the
the adoption of more advanced marketing tech- relationship between strategic marketing activities
niques, such as customer relationship management and SMEs’ performance (see Table 5).


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236 R. Bocconcelli et al.

Table 4. Summary of key articles examining marketing information activities

Main topics Key references

(i) Relationship with performance Alshawi et al. 2011; Chaparro-Peláez et al. 2014; Hutchinson et al. 2015; Kawakami et al.
2012; Keh et al. 2007; Loane et al. 2006; Reynolds and Lancaster 2006; Simsek et al.
2009; Song et al. 2010; Tanev and Bailetti 2008; West and Noel 2009
(ii) Factors influencing the information Berry et al. 2006; Daskalopoulou and Petrou 2010; Musteen et al. 2014; Parker 2006; Tolstoy
management process 2009, 2010; Vaghely and Julien 2010

Table 5. Summary of key articles examining strategic marketing activities

Main topics Key references

(i) International market selection, Brock et al. 2011; Musso and Francioni 2014; Ndubisi and Matanda 2011; Ojala and
segmentation and targeting Tyrväinen 2007; Papadopoulos and Martı́n Martı́n 2011; Sousa and Lages 2011; Tang and
Hull 2012; Yamakawa et al. 2008
(ii) Factors influencing marketing Barbero et al. 2011; Bengtsson et al. 2007; Cegarra-Navarro 2007; Clercq and Rangarajan
strategies 2008; Hanna and Walsh 2008; Felzensztein and Gimmon 2009; Gronum et al. 2012;
Partanen et al. 2014
(iii) Relationship with performance Hilmersson 2014; Merrilees et al. 2011; Reijonen et al. 2014; Tang et al. 2007

The vast majority of reviewed studies adopted an Gronum et al. 2012; Hanna and Walsh 2008). With re-
international perspective, with a particular emphasis gard to relationships, two studies emphasized the atti-
on the IMS process (i), that is, the adoption of a tude of SMEs towards their customers and the positive
formalized decision-making process and objective impact of dyadic supplier/customer relationships on
criteria to both analyse and select export markets customer satisfaction (Clercq and Rangarajan 2008)
(Musso and Francioni 2014). Three studies attempted and enhance the value co-creation process (Cegarra-
to identify the most important elements influencing Navarro 2007). Authors highlighted how networking
IMS, such as geographical distance, psychological plays an essential role in the management of SMEs’
distance (Brock et al. 2011; Sousa and Lages 2011) marketing activity (Felzensztein and Gimmon 2009;
and market size (Ojala and Tyrväinen 2007). More- Hanna and Walsh 2008). An interesting study is
over, according to Papadopoulos and Martı́n Martı́n the one by Partanen et al. (2014), who found that
(2011), IMS is closely related to the decision about certain types of relationships have a positive impact
entry mode selection (EMS). International market on the commercialization of innovations. Very few
selection and EMS affect all subsequent strategic contributions focus on the influence of other specific
decisions, such as segmentation and positioning. factors; for example, Barbero and colleagues (2011)
Despite the importance of IMS, Musso and Francioni found that different managerial capabilities, espe-
(2014) claimed that the majority of SMEs did not cially those related to marketing, contributed most to
adopt a systematic market approach, not only because justifying the choice of strategy for increasing growth
entry decisions are often made for ‘non-rational’ rea- rates.
sons that apparently defy the optimizing logic of the We identified several articles focused on the direct
market, but also because of the SMEs’ lack of human and indirect impact of SMEs’ marketing strategies
and financial resources for gathering information. on performance (iii). Tang et al. (2007), investigating
The issues of segmentation and targeting are again the relationships between variables related to the
mainly examined as part of the internationalization marketing strategy and business performance of
process (Papadopoulos and Martı́n Martı́n 2011; small construction firms in China, discovered that
Yamakawa et al. 2008), re-emphasizing the fact that a long-term differentiation marketing strategy was
the globalization of markets entails new cognitive significantly associated with performance, whereas
requirements and strategic changes. the current product focus marketing strategy was not.
With reference to factors influencing international Reijonen and colleagues (2014) argued that SMEs
marketing strategies (ii), the majority of studies with varying growth intentions differed from each
investigated the role of relationships and networks other with regard to two strategic orientations, i.e.
in SMEs’ strategic marketing behaviour (Cegarra- MO and brand orientation, both of which are seen to
Navarro 2007; Felzensztein and Gimmon 2009; lead to enhanced market performance.


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SMEs and Marketing 237

Operational marketing. This section examines se- Morgan et al. 2015). Studies also investigated the
lected contributions that consider SMEs’ behaviour positive role of the relational dimension in the NPD
with regard to typical marketing-mix practices, such process, especially the customers’ role in product
as product and brand management, communication innovation and value co-creation (Coviello and
and distribution and sales management. In our Joseph 2012; Ngugi et al. 2010; Nijssen et al. 2012;
review, only two papers (Ingenbleek and van der Yli-Renko and Janakiraman 2008). Finally, some
Lans 2013; Flatten et al. 2015) dealt with price. researchers looked into the impact of NPD processes
Ingenbleek and Van der Lans (2013) found that in the on SMEs’ performance, generally finding a positive
SME context firms did not follow any price strategy relationship between the successful development of
offered by traditional pricing theory, but relied on new products and the survival and success of the
price-setting practices hidden behind the doors of firm (Kumar et al. 2012; Roach 2011; Verhees et al.
their organization (Gilmore 2011). The paper by Flat- 2010). Two interesting studies explored the positive
ten and colleagues (2015) empirically validates the link between the NPD process and the performance
relationship between pricing and firm performance of small firms in terms of export activities (Golovko
in entrepreneurial settings with particular reference and Valentini 2011; Ojala and Tyrväinen 2006). The
to young small technology oriented enterprises. The topic of brand management (ii) applied to SMEs is
study shows how the aware use of specific pricing generally neglected in marketing and management
techniques increases performance of SMEs. literature (Mitchell et al. 2013), although it has
recently attracted greater attention, as exemplified by
Product and brand management. Several articles 18 articles in the review. Starting from an analysis
in the review dealt with product management. Most of SMEs’ peculiarities (i.e. scarcity of resources,
adopted a strategic approach to the analysis, focusing informal processes, EO), some authors underscored
on two main topics: (i) innovation processes; and (ii) the distinctive features of brand management in
brand management (see Table 6). SMEs (Berthon et al. 2008; Horan et al. 2011;
Product innovation (i) is the first area of interest. A Renton et al. 2015; Spence and Essoussi 2010), in-
total of 26 articles in our review were strictly related cluding specific firm categories, such as family firms
to this topic. Entrepreneurs have a natural propensity (Craig et al. 2008), and contexts, such as retailing
to preside over product-related activities, since they (Mitchell et al. 2013), service (Horan et al. 2011;
consider product quality and innovation as the main Rauyruen et al. 2009; Sandbacka et al. 2013) and
means of achieving success and competitiveness (De the B2B market (Mäläskä et al. 2011; Michaelidou
Jong and Vermeulen 2006). Moreover, increasing et al. 2011). Berthon and colleagues (2008), in
environmental turbulence and the rapidly changing particular, analysed the differences between large
customer requirements that are manifest in today’s and small and medium-sized firms in implementing
business world undoubtedly require more effective brand management practices: they acknowledged
NPD processes (Shiu and Walker 2007). The speci- that SMEs and larger firms are both aware of the
ficities of NPD process and factors affecting NPD importance of brand management, even if smaller
performance are two of the most researched themes organizations implement their brand practices
in the area of NPD in SMEs. Contributions delving through less structured processes. Through an
deeper into the specific features of NPD processes examination of entrepreneurial SME organizations
generally found that, in smaller firms, the NPD was with well-developed brand orientations, Renton et al.
more an ad hoc process rather than the result of a (2015) showed that, in both established and relatively
formal and planned procedure (De Massis et al. 2015; new SMEs, the combination of an entrepreneurial
Kumar et al. 2012; Ledwith et al. 2006). Similar find- drive of the founder/manager and an integrated
ings emerged with regard to specific industries and brand orientation contribute to market innovation
market contexts, such as food (Baregheh et al. 2012), and growth. Studies also emphasized the benefits of
and economic downturns (Bumgardner et al. 2011). branding for small business performance (Craig et al.
Various contributions revealed the positive role of 2008; Roy and Banerjee 2012; Russell-Bennett et al.
factors such as the enhancement of human capital 2007; Selase Asamoah 2014; Spence and Essoussi
(Branzei and Vertinsky 2006), the use of information 2010). Spence and Essoussi (2010) argued that brand
technologies (Higón 2012), the development of a new diversification can contribute to SMEs’ growth.
product market vision (Shiu and Walker 2007) and Similarly, in the BtoB context, Roy and Banerjee
a high degree of MO and/or EO (Hong et al. 2013; (2012) identified brand as a source of competitive


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238 R. Bocconcelli et al.

Table 6. Summary of key articles examining product and brand management

Main topics Key references

(i) Product innovation Baregheh et al. 2012; Branzei and Vertinsky 2006; Bumgardner et al. 2011; Coviello and Joseph 2012; De
Jong and Vermeulen 2006; De Massis et al. 2015; Golovko and Valentini 2011; Higón 2012; Hong et al.
2013; Kumar et al. 2012; Ledwith et al. 2006; Ngugi et al. 2010; Nijssen et al. 2012; Ojala and Tyrväinen
2006; Roach 2011; Shiu and Walker 2007; Verhees et al. 2010; Yli-Renko and Janakiraman 2008
(ii) Brand management Berthon et al. 2008; Lai et al. 2010; Craig et al. 2008; Horan et al. 2011; Mäläskä et al. 2011; Michaelidou
et al. 2011; Mitchell et al. 2013; Renton et al. 2015; Rauyruen et al. 2009; Roy and Banerjee 2012;
Russell-Bennett et al. 2007; Sandbacka et al. 2013; Selase Asamoah 2014; Spence and Essoussi 2010;
Weerawardena et al. 2006.

advantage, as it allows the selling company to get a and to increase perceived differentiation in the eyes of
premium price and at the same time to increase the stakeholders.
buyer’s loyalty. Moreover, researchers investigated Finally, within this area of research, authors agreed
the impact of specific variables on SMEs’ brand on the fact that web-based communication is still
management performance and practices, such as one of the greatest challenges that SMEs have to
corporate social responsibility (Lai et al. 2010), face, the main factors influencing (both positively
innovation and organizational learning (Weerawar- and negatively) this form of communication being
dena et al. 2006) and MO (Roy and Banerjee 2012). related to the available competencies, skills and time
Among these, some contributions drew attention to (Alam 2009; Durkin et al. 2013; Jones 2010; Jones
the positive influence of social and business network et al. 2015; Simmons et al. 2007). In particular, the
relationships on brand image (Mäläskä et al. 2011), role of owner/manager, organizational culture and
taking into account also the role of web social technological competencies, variables that affect
networks to achieve brand objectives (Michaelidou the adoption of web-based applications, have to be
et al. 2011). urgently considered on a ‘need to manage’ basis.
The second area of investigation concerns com-
Communication. The topic of communication munication in the internationalization process (ii) as
seems to have received little attention in the recent implemented by SMEs (Daryanto et al. 2013; Evers
literature. A total of 16 papers were coded as and Knight 2008; Wong and Merrilees 2008). Studies
dealing with communication in the SME context. in this area are still limited, despite the greater incli-
Contributions reviewed focused on two narrow areas nation of SMEs to operate in global markets. Within
of interest: (i) web-based communication and (ii) the internationalization process, Wong and Merrilees
communication in the internationalization process (2008) considered the key factors influencing the
(see Table 7). effectiveness of SMEs’ marketing communication
With regard to web-based communication (i), activities, such as international commitment and
authors highlighted the increasing use of the Internet brand adaptation. Evers and Knight (2008) instead
compared with other communication tools. This highlighted the positive impact of trade shows, which
topic encompasses studies on the adoption of both allow SMEs to acquire new foreign customers, agents
traditional web communication (Otero et al. 2014) and distributors, to enhance existing relationships, to
and emerging solutions through social media applica- gain foreign market knowledge and to expand into
tions (Durkin et al. 2013; Fischer and Reuber 2014; new markets abroad.
Jones 2010), while recent contributions examine in
an integrated way both web and social media tools Distribution and sales. A total of 59 papers in our
adoption in SMEs (Jones et al. 2015; Taiminen data set dealt with distribution and sales in SMEs.
and Karjaluoto 2015). Social media have received Distribution has been contemplated mainly with
growing interest for their use in communication regard to the choice of distribution channels and
by SMEs, especially in recent years, and have an to the management of relationships. The studies
acknowledged large impact on changing commu- reviewed considered sales in terms of e-commerce
nication between SMEs and their stakeholders. For and exporting. Surprisingly few studies examined the
example, Fischer and Reuber (2014) analysed how issue of sales management and organization per se.
growth-oriented entrepreneurial firms exploited new Articles within this topic can thus be grouped into
media channels such as Twitter to reduce uncertainty three main areas of research: (i) the management of


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SMEs and Marketing 239

Table 7. Summary of key articles examining communication

Main topics Key references

(i) Web based communication Alam 2009; Durkin et al. 2013; Fischer and Reuber 2014; Otero et al. 2014; Jones 2010;
Jones et al. 2015; Simmons et al. 2007; Taiminen and Karjaluoto 2015
(ii) Communication in internationalization Daryanto et al. 2013; Evers and Knight 2008; Wong and Merrilees 2008

Table 8. Summary of key articles examining distribution and sales

Main topics Key references

(i) Distribution channels Adjei et al. 2009; Chirico et al. 2011; Dada and Watson 2013; Grewal et al. 2011; Harrigan et al. 2009;
management Joshi 2010; Lindblom et al. 2009; Peltier et al. 2009; Samouel 2007; Singh and Koshy 2011; Sousa
and Novello 2014; Spillecke and Brettel 2014
(ii) E-commerce development Abebe 2014; Altobello Nasco et al. 2008; Grandón Toledo et al. 2011; Banerjee and Ma 2014; Boeck
et al. 2009; Caskey and Subirana 2007; Eriksson et al. 2008; Sebora et al. 2009; Stockdale and
Standing 2006; Wilson et al. 2008
(iii) Exporting and Bertrand 2011; Higón and Driffield 2011; Holmlund et al. 2007; Lee et al. 2012; Morgan-Thomas and
international sales Jones 2009; Neupert et al. 2006; Robson and Freel 2008; Stoian and Rialp-Criado 2010; Ural 2009;
activities Wengel and Rodriguez 2006; Westhead 2008; Wheeler et al. 2008

distribution channels; (ii) e-commerce; and (iii) ex- Subirana 2007). Other scholars examined the degree
porting and international sales activities (see Table 8). of usage of e-commerce among SMEs in specific
With regard to management of distribution geographical markets or within specific contexts such
channels (i), various studies focused on the role of as business markets (Boeck et al. 2009; Eriksson
relationships in this context. Some authors focused on et al. 2008). Only one empirical study attempted
the development of relationships between small man- to understand how e-commerce positively affects a
ufacturers and distributors (Samouel 2007). Other firm’s performance (Abebe 2014).
scholars also examined different types of relation- With regard to SMEs’ (iii) exporting and inter-
ships, such as supplier–retailer (Lindblom et al. 2009) national sales activities, authors approached this
and retailer–customer (Adjei et al. 2009). Finally, topic from different perspectives. Several studies
some studies examined the adoption of CRM technol- investigated the SMEs’ export challenges, diffusion
ogy and its positive impact on channel management and performance in different geographical contexts
(Harrigan et al. 2009; Peltier et al. 2009). Franchising (Neupert et al. 2006; Robson and Freel 2008;
in SMEs was explored in three contributions (Chirico Wengel and Rodriguez 2006; Wheeler et al. 2008).
et al. 2011; Dada and Watson 2013; Grewal et al. Few focused on the impact of export and interna-
2011). Within this group of studies, the role of the tional sales on SMEs’ paths to internationalization
salesperson was tackled only in relation to product (Holmlund et al. 2007; Morgan-Thomas and Jones
development processes (Joshi 2010), business 2009; Westhead 2008). Factors influencing SMEs’
relationship development (Singh and Koshy 2011) exporting and international sales activities were also
and learning and EO (Spillecke and Brettel 2014). analysed: most of the reviewed studies dealt with
With regard to e-commerce development (ii), the variables affecting export behaviour and internation-
literature reviewed emphasizes its adoption by SMEs alization performance in SMEs, such as marketing
for selling products in international markets. The channel relationships (Lee et al. 2012; Ural 2009),
majority of the articles focused on factors behind managerial characteristics (Stoian and Rialp-Criado
the adoption of such tools. Some created theoretical 2010) and, to a lesser extent, innovation (Higón and
models to explain the adoption of e-commerce Driffield 2011) and offshoring (Bertrand 2011).
(Altobello Nasco et al. 2008; Grandón Toledo et al.
2011), whereas others conducted empirical surveys
on samples of SMEs in the manufacturing sector Discussion of results
(Stockdale and Standing 2006; Wilson et al. 2008).
Some articles highlighted the perceived reliability of This section presents the main results of the literature
these tools (Sebora et al. 2009) and the barriers and review. It first examines the reasons for the recent in-
constraints in managing such systems (Caskey and terest in examining the role of marketing in SMEs. It


C 2016 British Academy of Management and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
240 R. Bocconcelli et al.

then offers an assessment of the main results derived market niches (Hilmersson 2014), managing more
from the analysis, based on the proposed framework. effective relationships with key customers (Lee et al.
Lastly, it discusses two relevant dimensions of 2012) and developing products in line with their
contemporary SME marketing emerging from the needs (Coviello and Joseph 2012). In this respect,
literature review: the role of relationships/networks marketing has been examined also as a key factor in
and the adoption of ICT. These two aspects may be addressing SMEs’ survival during periods of crisis
considered the main emerging ‘enabling’ factors that (Bumgardner et al. 2011; Lado et al. 2013; Naidoo
induce SMEs to upgrade their marketing awareness 2010; Parry et al. 2012; Smallbone et al. 2012).
and capabilities.
Variety in SMEs’ market approaches and marketing
Drivers of attempts to analyse the role of marketing practices
It appears that recent studies on SME marketing are With regard to SMEs’ marketing approach, the chosen
determined by three main ‘triggering’ contextual analytical framework helps to highlight both the main
drivers: globalization processes; technological achievements and the gaps emerging in recent SMEs’
development; and market instability. marketing contributions examined in this review.
The complexity of globalization processes and its Market orientation in SMEs represented an
impact on SMEs have attracted much attention. This important research topic for scholars before 2006
strong interest in the international dimension implies (Kohli and Jaworski 1990; Pelham 1997; Peterson
the widespread adoption of international marketing 1989; Slater and Narver 1994) and has become
perspectives, which have been integrated also with more prominent since. A relevant group of papers
international business theories and concepts. In other focused on MO from an EM perspective, showing
words, a significant group of articles (102 papers) strong conceptual cohesiveness and a propensity
on marketing in SMEs are actually ‘international to provide a ‘normative’ frame to their analysis. A
marketing’-oriented contributions (Bell and Loane further group of contributions attempted to explore
2010; Bradley et al. 2006). In particular, it is evident MO by highlighting specific dimensions linked to
that researchers have been concerned with oppor- actual market behaviours employed by SMEs. Few
tunities and difficulties SMEs face in international such attempts have been linked to alternative theo-
markets, with respect to cultural attitudes (Ellis 2011; retical approaches, such as the resource-based view
Gamboa and Brouthers 2008), strategic behaviours (Barbero et al. 2011; Lisboa et al. 2011; Merrilees
(Papadopoulus and Martı́n Martı́n 2011; Sousa et al. 2011). All these contributions highlight in
and Lages 2011) as well as operational marketing particular the role of specific variables affecting
processes (Golovko and Valentini 2011; Daryanto MO, mainly organizational factors, ICT and network
et al. 2013; Holmlund et al. 2007). relationships (Jämsä et al. 2011; Raju et al. 2011).
Technological and scientific developments in Many papers here reviewed show the relevance of
the ICT sector in the last decade have thoroughly marketing information activities for SMEs, notably
penetrated the business arena, changing the way firms in international markets, but they also confirm a low
organize and manage their resources and implement level of inclination to engage in these activities mainly
communication activities. A significant number of as a result of the owner-manager’s lack of awareness
contributions (34 papers) deal with SMEs’ adoption about the strategic relevance of market research
of ICT in their marketing-related activities, focusing (Hutchinson et al. 2009; O’Donnell 2011). This is
on such topics as web communication (Otero et al. in line with previous studies showing SMEs’ failure
2014), e-commerce management (Abebe 2014, to acknowledge the strategic importance of formal
Altobello Nasco et al. 2008) and, recently, use of market research (Fuelhart and Glasmeier 2003;
social media (Durkin et al. 2013; Fischer and Reuber Lybaert 1998), relying more on their interpersonal
2014; Jones 2010). relationships (Jocumsen 2004). Recent contributions
Markets have been characterized lately by increas- emphasized the positive role of networks and ICT-
ing heterogeneity and instability. These patterns have based tools with regard to the acquisition, collection,
recently encouraged scholars to analyse whether management and transfer of information, to make
and how SMEs have changed their approach to these practices more formalized and structured, thus
markets (Parry et al. 2012). In detail, contributions allowing SMEs to improve their market knowledge
highlight SMEs’ marketing activities targeting (Alshawi et al. 2011; Loane et al. 2006).


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SMEs and Marketing 241

As regards the strategic dimension of marketing cation activities, in most of the studies this topic is
activities in SMEs, the contributions reviewed show linked with international marketing processes and
that SMEs have made only limited attempts to pursue the introduction of ICT, which is perceived as the
a more planned approach to markets. This confirms main driver of changes in distribution approaches
previous research emphasizing that there is no or little (Altobello Nasco et al. 2008; Sebora et al. 2009;
marketing planning within SMEs (Culkin and Smith Stockdale and Standing 2006). Much research has
2000; Fuller 1994; Miles and Arnold 1991; Orpen focused on the role of downstream relationships
1994). Most of the reviewed articles followed an with distributors and large customers, to highlight
international marketing perspective, which is focused emerging relational processes in which SMEs are
on IMS and exporting strategies. In this internation- involved (Boeck et al. 2009; Nguyen and Waring
alization perspective, papers highlight that SMEs still 2013). Various articles deal with sales activities, even
do not follow a systematic strategic approach towards though most of them concern exporting strategies and
the market (Musso and Francioni 2014); however, engagement in e-commerce, in line with the growing
relationships with key international customers are academic interest in this field (Eriksson et al. 2008;
presented as one of the main drivers of increased Grandón Toledo et al. 2011). Notwithstanding the
strategic awareness in SMEs (Cegarra-Navarro 2007; recognized importance of salesforce organization and
Clercq and Rangarajan 2008). sales management, even in smaller firms (Babakus
As concerns the SMEs’ ‘marketing mix’, the et al. 1996; Grant and Cravens 1996; Grant et al.
papers in our review related to only one or a few 2001), surprisingly limited attention is paid to these
policies and made no attempt to provide a compre- issues in our review, despite the increased propensity
hensive analysis of marketing practices by SMEs. of SMEs to operate in foreign environments.
This is in line with previous studies examining in
depth specific activities such as selling (Hill 2001;
Relationships, networks and ICT in marketing
Stokes 2000) and communication, mainly based on
research
unstructured processes (Hogarth-Scott et al. 1996).
Contributions on SMEs’ product policies were In our literature review, it is apparent that rela-
mainly focused on product innovation and brand tionships are interpreted as a major component
management, which represent emerging areas of of marketing activities or as a factor that has an
research (Shiu and Walker 2007). Authors high- impact on marketing and firm performance. Some
lighted efforts by SMEs, driven by market pressure, contributions attempted to qualify specific marketing
to engage in NPD, although this is still an ad hoc approaches as ‘networking’ (Sullivan Mort and Weer-
process rather than the result of a formal and planned awardena 2006). As mentioned above, the recent
procedure (Kumar et al. 2012; Ledwith and O’Dwyer literature has extensively stressed the positive role of
2008). SMEs tend to adopt an unstructured approach relationship-building in various marketing processes:
to brand management too. information and knowledge acquisition, strategic
Communication activities have received consider- marketing decisions, NPD, sales and distribution
able attention in recent literature on SME marketing, management. The role of relationships, as a determi-
mainly with respect to the adoption of ICT and nant of marketing performance, is also highlighted
to the international market expansion. Web-based in studies of SMEs’ entry into foreign markets and
communication is explored in terms of achieved expansion (Belso-Martı́nez 2006; Bradley et al.
benefits and implementation processes. International 2006).
marketing communication is investigated in line Furthermore relationships have been investigated
with the growing expansion of SMEs in foreign in terms of the specific actors involved. Many
markets, thus placing emphasis on issues such as studies have addressed the development of vertical
brand communication and participation in trade fairs relationships with customers and cite their positive
(Blythe 2002; Mäläskä et al. 2011; Michaelidou effects, mainly with actors such as distributors and
et al. 2011). However, other strategically relevant large firms (Cubillo-Pinilla 2008; Di Guardo and
communication-related themes, such as advertising, Valentini 2007). Sparse attention is paid to horizontal
have not been examined in depth yet. cooperation with other SMEs and the involvement
Recent contributions on SME marketing have of external partners, which can provide significant
extensively explored the issues related to SMEs’ marketing resources and capabilities, namely private
distribution and sales. As in the case of communi- consulting firms and public providers of services.


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242 R. Bocconcelli et al.

The adoption of ICT has been addressed by practices in the new business context. This is in line
researchers as another major driver of change and with the claim by Gross et al. (2014, p. 105) that a
advancement in SMEs. Previous studies were mainly ‘theoretical gap between scholarly efforts to explain
concerned with the adoption processes and their the nature of EM practices and the actual marketing
internal use for information management (Levy practices or marketing doing of small firms’ seems
and Powell 1998; Poon and Swatman 1997). The to emerge, and this justifies strenuous efforts to learn
reviewed contributions provide new insights into ‘how marketing practice can be studied through the
the use and impact of web technologies for a wide examination of material and embodied observations’
range of market-related purposes. First, studies (Gross et al. 2014, p. 106). Thus, the richness of
underline the role of Internet-based tools to manage studies on emerging marketing practices by SMEs is
communication with external actors and stakeholders not accompanied by a willingness to select and test al-
(Harrigan et al. 2011; Jones et al. 2015). In addition, ternative conceptual frameworks (Blackburn and Ko-
certain contributions provide some insights into the valainen 2009) that could be useful in addressing and
changes occurring in specific marketing-mix poli- explaining the main patterns of emerging practices.
cies, as in the case of e-commerce adoption within As outlined above, the reviewed contributions
distribution and sales activities, where ICT is used to highlight the efforts of SMEs to actively exploit
support brand management and product development available resources and relationships/networks where
processes (Mäläskä et al. 2011; Michaelidou et al. they are embedded, in line with valuable previous
2011). Nevertheless, despite the increasing role of contributions on this field (Coviello and Munro 1995;
modern web-based technologies, various authors Coviello et al. 2006; Shaw 2006). Frameworks such
claim that the adoption and effective use of ICT as the resource-based view (Kozlenkova et al. 2014;
in marketing activities are still constrained by key Penrose 1959), the dynamic capabilities approach
SME-related variables, such as the characteristics of (Teece et al. 1997) and the Industrial Marketing and
the owner/manager, the organizational culture and Purchasing (IMP) approach (Håkansson et al. 2009)
available financial resources (Celuch et al. 2007; could arguably provide effective alternative theoret-
Jones 2010; Sebora et al. 2009; Simmons et al. 2007). ical bases for a better understanding of the evolving
processes of marketing activities implemented by
SMEs. On the one hand, the resource-based view and
Future research directions the dynamic capabilities approach could shed light
specifically on the types of resources used in market-
This section surveys possible avenues for further ing and sales and the main learning processes behind
research on SMEs, based on the main findings of this their development, as attempted in a recent contribu-
literature review. It first assesses future developments tion by Lonial and Carter (2015). On the other hand,
from a theoretical perspective, then provides sug- the IMP framework could help to highlight the nature
gestions for research on marketing approaches and of resources and the dynamic process of resource
practices by SMEs. Lastly, it proposes possible direc- combination in marketing activities (Håkansson and
tions in terms of firm typologies, through a distinction Snehota 1995; Håkansson et al. 2009).
between small and medium-sized companies. Existing studies, through theoretical and empirical
analyses, point to the greater propensity of SMEs
to be involved in relationships and networks (Street
Theoretical development in the analysis of
and Cameron 2007). Therefore, future research on
marketing in SMEs
SME marketing could adopt conceptual insights and
Recent research on marketing in SMEs shows sub- schemes from the dynamic capabilities approach
stantial continuity with past contributions in terms of and the IMP framework. On the one hand, the
conceptual development. Entrepreneurial marketing dynamic capabilities approach could illuminate the
(Gilmore 2011; Hill and Wright 2000; Hills et al. development of relational capabilities, placing em-
2008; Shaw and Carson 1995) is confirmed as the phasis on trust, organizational routines, information
main theoretical approach adopted, with further systems and organizational units. In particular, the
developments in recent studies. However, our review relational capability concept stresses the importance
shows a limited propensity to use conceptual frame- of a strategic and more structured management of
works and existing theories – including EM – while relationships, using both formal processes and ICT
attempting to explore new and emerging marketing tools (Goerzen 2005; Heimericks 2004). On the other


C 2016 British Academy of Management and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
SMEs and Marketing 243

hand, the IMP approach might shed new light on of the entrepreneur, rather than analysing roles in
changing patterns in relationships with customers due marketing and sales, even in professional or high-tech
to interactions and interdependencies among related firms. Thus, research is recommended on such issues
networks (Ford and Håkansson 2006; Håkansson and as the introduction of internal marketing and sales
Snehota 1995; Håkansson et al. 2009). positions, the development of ICT-related marketing
resources and the involvement of external marketing
partners.
Research directions on marketing approaches and
In addition, the involvement of external actors
practices by SMEs
in the design and implementation of marketing
Strategic dimension. Recent literature lacks contri- activities is an area worthy of further investigation
butions dealing with segmentation and positioning (Agostini and Nosella 2015). Several contributions
strategies. Some studies consider the operational mar- focus on interaction with customers and distributors,
keting activities, such as sales, crucial for SMEs to mainly within a B2B context. It could be argued
survive or compete successfully in the market. Gener- that increasing market complexity and uncertainty
ally, our review shows that existing studies seem to ig- might induce SMEs to share the marketing effort
nore the real potential and strategic marketing impli- with external actors. This suggests an opportunity for
cations that such activities may have. Therefore, there research on the degree of marketing cooperation with
seems to be some overlap between strategic and oper- competitors, active companies in different sectors,
ational marketing activities that could be more thor- marketing knowledge providers and suppliers.
oughly explored within SMEs. For example, the use of
ICT and social media are analysed mainly just as oper-
ational tools and not in the light of their strategic role. Small vs. medium firms
The studies reviewed perceive SMEs as a homoge-
Relevant unexplored ‘marketing-mix’ practices. neous category, not distinguishing between small
Marketing-mix decisions and activities have been and medium-sized enterprises (Gilmore et al. 2013),
addressed in many studies. However, existing contri- which actually show very different features. This is
butions show fragmented insights and do not attempt consistent with management literature, which does
to provide an integrated and updated perspective on not consider medium-sized firms as an autonomous
operational marketing behaviour aimed at covering conceptual category and regards them only as a differ-
overlooked aspects such as pricing, advertising ent firm typology when addressing specific research
and sales management. Therefore, understanding issues (Brooksbank et al. 2003; Perks and Hughes
whether and how SMEs are oriented towards the 2008). However, in the small-business literature there
adoption of more articulated practices with regard to is an increasing – though still limited – emphasis on
marketing-mix policies is an area that warrants fur- this type of firm, which represents, in specific na-
ther investigation. We call for an integrated analysis tional/local contexts, a major component of economic
of operational marketing practices, in the light of the and industrial systems (Coltorti et al. 2013; Simon
increasing market pressure pushing for efficiency, 2009). These studies highlight that SMEs may differ
quality and service. Nevertheless, it is necessary to in terms of resources and organizational knowledge,
explore in depth whether specific practices have been leading to different approaches – more or less formal
upgraded, therefore adopting a longitudinal perspec- and structured – towards customers and markets.
tive. In particular, we suggest more empirical research
on areas such as pricing, web–social media commu-
nication and advertising, and sales management. Conclusions
Organization of marketing in SMEs. In-depth re- This paper offers a systematic review of studies on
search is needed on the organizational dimension of SMEs’ marketing approaches and practices during
marketing activities in SMEs, as this topic is under- the last decade. Selected contributions have been
investigated in the recent examined literature. Most assessed in the light of an integrated framework
of the studies highlight the informal and tacit nature combining the MO concept and basic marketing
of marketing practices. However, there appears to be processes, that is, marketing information activities,
no explicit attempt to investigate organizational up- strategic marketing activities and operational mar-
grading processes. The main focus is on the attitude keting activities. Results overall show that great


C 2016 British Academy of Management and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
244 R. Bocconcelli et al.

attention has been paid to this topic. Many contri- Agndal, H. and Chetty, S. (2007). The impact of relationships
butions have explored changes in market approaches on changes in internationalisation strategies of SMEs.
and marketing practices in most of the selected European Journal of Marketing, 41, pp. 1449–1474.
areas, highlighting the emerging role of networks Agostini, L. and Nosella, A. (2015). Interorganizational re-
and ICT in SMEs’ marketing activities. However, lationships in marketing: a critical review and research
agenda. International Journal of Management Reviews,
relevant themes such as targeting/positioning activ-
doi: 10.1111/ijmr.12084.
ities, organization of marketing activities and sales Alam, S.S. (2009). Adoption of internet in Malaysian SMEs.
management practices have not been investigated Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development,
fully. Entrepreneurial marketing has been used as the 16, pp. 240–255.
main conceptual framework. However, our study still Alpkan, L., Yilmaz, C. and Kaya, N. (2007). Market ori-
highlights a distance in the reviewed studies between entation and planning flexibility in SMEs: performance
their theoretical bases and analyses of marketing implications and an empirical investigation. International
behaviour and practices by SMEs. Small Business Journal, 25, pp. 152–172.
Undoubtedly, this literature review has some Alshawi, S., Missi, F. and Irani, Z. (2011). Organisational,
limitations. First, it is based on a sample of journals technical and data quality factors in CRM adoption –
selected according to specific criteria and therefore SMEs perspective. Industrial Marketing Management, 40,
pp. 376–383.
does not cover the full range of academic journals
Altobello Nasco, S., Grandón Toledo, E. and Mykytyn,
in the management, marketing and entrepreneurship P.P. Jr (2008). Predicting electronic commerce adop-
fields. Second, the temporal range is limited to tion in Chilean SMEs. Journal of Business Research, 61,
the 2006–2015 period. In order to overcome this pp. 697–705.
limitation, we attempted to compare insights from the APEC (2010). SME Market Access and International-
recent literature with relevant contributions published ization: Medium-term KPIs for the SMEWG Strategic
before 2006. Third, the analysis of single themes is Plan, June 2010. Available at: http://publications.apec.org/
not developed in depth as it would deserve. However, publication-detail.php?pub_id=1050 (accessed 21 July
the main rationale of the paper is to provide a wide 2014).
and exhaustive picture of studies on SMEs’ marketing Armario, J.M., Ruiz, D.M. and Armario, E.M. (2008). Market
approaches and practices in the last decade. orientation and internationalization in small and medium-
sized enterprises. Journal of Small Business Management,
This paper calls for further research on three differ-
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person performance, and sales organization effective-
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