A review of digital family businesses: setting marketing strategies, business models and technology applications

Abstract

Purpose Technological advances in the last decade have caused both business and economic sectors to seek for new ways to adapt their business models to a connected data-centric era. Family businesses have also been forced to leave behind traditional strategies rooted in family stimuli and ties and to adapt their actions in digital environments. In this context, this study aims to identify major online marketing strategies, business models and technology applications developed to date by family firms. Methodology: Upon a systematic literature review, we develop a multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) under the homogeneity analysis of variance by means of alternating least squares (HOMALS) framework programmed in the R language. Based on the results, the analyzed contributions are visually analyzed in clusters.Design/methodology/approach Upon a systematic literature review, we develop an MCA under the HOMALS framework programmed in the R language. Based on the results, the analyzed contributions are visually analyzed in clusters.Findings Relevant indicators are identified for the successful development of digital family businesses classified in the following three categories: (1) digital business models, (2) digital marketing techniques and (3) technology applications. The first category consists of four digital business models: mobile marketing, e-commerce, cost per click, cost per mile and cost per acquisition. The second category includes six digital marketing techniques: search marketing (search engine optimization and search engine marketing (SEM) strategies), social media marketing, social ads, social selling, websites and online reputation optimization. Finally, the third category consists of the following aspects: digital innovation, digital tools, innovative marketing, knowledge discovery and online decision making. In addition, five research propositions are developed for further discussion and future research.Originality/value To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to cover this research topic applying the emerging programming language R for the development of an MCA under the HOMALS framework.

Digital transformation in family-owned winery SMEs: an exploratory analysis in the South-Italian context

“…communication, social media and digital marketing strategies) rather than on its productive part (in the vineyard and in the cellars). With respect to the process dimension of digital transformation, in fact, our results confirm a more advanced engagement in digital solutions applied to marketing activities (Saura et al ., 2022; Ziółkowska, 2021) – from the website development and the e-shop (Madill and Neilson, 2010) and the CRM strategies – compared to productive phases, and this translates in the most immediate changes in the business model of family-owned Sicilian SMEs. Changes that our companies made and are still making are market-driven and go into the direction of developing new ways to create and deliver value to their customer's segments.…”

“…Therefore, in that perspective, this paper does not only represent an embryonal response to categorize the specific steps and strategies adopted by family wine firms approaching to digital transformation, but it aims at providing empirical evidence on factors that could ease or hinder how such firms adapt and handle the changes brought forth by digitization and digitalization. Specifically, by adopting digital entrepreneurship lens of analysis (Nambisan et al, 2019) applied to family-owned firms, it is not clear if peculiar characteristics of family businesses, such as the interest for transgenerational entrepreneurship and value creation, the preference for family control and other non-financial aspects, could leave rooms for change and dynamism, thus prompting family business to leave behind traditional strategies deeply rooted in their history and ties (Saura et al, 2022). While family firmsespecially if small in size (Bouncken and Schmitt, 2022) may have some advantages in leveraging EJIM 26,7 transformations, as a result of their distinctive and unique pool of characteristics, these businesses could experience some rigidities, due to their organizational structures and their higher sensitivity to uncertain projects (Ano and Bent, 2022).…”

Entrepreneurial behaviors that shape performance in small family and non-family hotels during times of crisis

“…In marketing operations, big data, machine-learning algorithms, and natural language processing and virtual reality are also being used (Doborjeh et al, 2022;Filieri et al, 2021;Zhang et al, 2017). Digitalization can also play important role in family businesses (Hastenteufel & Staub, 2020;Saura et al, 2022). Thus, we propose the following:…”

Challenge and Opportunity of Marketing Digital-Based for Business Owners During Pandemic in Indonesia

“…Then survey customer desires on the website and, of course, also with digital experiences and all of that is digital-based marketing that does demand insights that customers have never experienced, and it gives new nuances to consumers (Saura et al, 2022). For example, how to analyze and predict to identify the time spent on the way to the destination of the order with continuous communication by responding to what customers want and combining the best services and products so that in these ways, the strategy will win consumers and also win business.…”