From digital adoption to strategic integration: Amplifying customer experience and marketing performance through synergistic integration of digital marketing and e-commerce supply chains

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.