Success of digital marketing model for software development industry: validation of survey based results with case study analysis

Abstract

PurposeThe paper aims to clarify the validity of the digital marketing model for software IT professionals. It proposes a model of buying behavior practices followed in digital era and outlining all six critical factors that were considered for developing this model. So the main objective of the study is to validate the success of digital marketing model through a survey-based results and case study analysis and synthesize the results for the success of digital marketing model for software development industry.Design/methodology/approachThe paper opted for an exploratory study using the structured questionnaire. The data were collected using online platform. The present study covers the analysis of a survey of 406 IT professionals from software development industry to understand their buying behavior through digital marketing. Regression technique has been used to find the important predictors of the digital marketing model with its impact on the demographic variables.FindingsThe paper provides empirical insights about digital marketing model whose validity has been checked by synthesizing the results of both overall and case study. The results show that predictors elucidate Durbin–Watson in the acceptable range and are suitable for the model.Research limitations/implicationsData were collected during Covid period. So it was quite a challenging task and moreover sample size could not be increased due to this problem.Practical implicationThe paper includes implications for the development of digital marketing model for software IT professionals. Finally, this study will contribute to the further research for many prominent researchers who express their doubts about the state and future of digital marketing studies, characterized by contradictory and confusing empirical findings. A larger quantitative study on IT companies' digital marketing from different regions is recommended as a future line of research in order to encourage the unique globalized level model development.Social implicationsMany organizations use digital marketing successfully since with the great amount of awareness generated about the digitalization among the customers has propelled for its development.Originality/valueThis paper fulfills an identified need to study how IT professional's digital buying marketing practices need to be studied.