A MARKET STUDY ON PERCEPTION OF DIGITAL MARKETING ADOPTION BY SME’S IN MANUFACTURING SECTOR IN COIMBATORE CITY, TAMIL NADU

The purpose of this research was to investigate the perception about digital marketing adoption by SME's in manufacturing sector in Coimbatore City , Tamilnadu . The problems are identified and the objectives are framed. The objective of the research was to identify the benefits, barriers, importance and the effectiveness of digital marketing .The research reviews the academic literature and recent survey reports on digital marketing adoption. Based on the literature review, the conceptual framework has been developed to explain the overall digital marketing adoption by SMEs. The study was limited to small sample with fixed geographic location. The researchers surveyed 80 SMEs using structured questionnaires to examine their perception about digital marketing adoption by SMEs .Various statistical tools was used to analyse the data. The findings, suggestions and conclusion were then summarised. The study reveals that most of the SMEs have still not implemented digital marketing due to various factors such as lack of awareness of technology, lack of qualified staff to support digital activities, limited financial resources, and low computer literacy .The SMEs who have adopted digital marketing finds it to be more effective than traditional in terms of reduced cost, Increased customer awareness, Increased sales, Global reach etc... . Findings provide more evidence on digital marketing adoption views by SMEs .Furthermore, the survey also suggested that SMEs can adopt the digital marketing by creating website, listing themselves in online directory listings and online trade portals with reduced cost and also Government can support SMEs by creating awareness campaign and providing incentives. SME's can utilise the free trainings provided by the digital technology leaders like Google digital India where the basics of digital marketing training will be provided and on completion a certificate will be awarded.