Effect of Digital Marketing Practices on Consumer Behaviour of Selected Small And MediumScale Enterprises in Abuja

Abstract

This study examined the effect of digital marketing practices on consumer buying behaviour among selected small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Nigeria. Specifically, the study focused on three key dimensions of digital marketing: mobile marketing, online affiliate marketing, and email marketing. A descriptive survey research design was employed, and data were collected from 299 SME owners and managers using a structured questionnaire. The sample size was determined using Taro Yamane’s formula, and simple random sampling was used to ensure representativeness. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and simple linear regression with the aid of SPSS version 23. The results revealed that all three digital marketing practices had a statistically significant and positive effect on consumer buying behaviour. Email marketing exerted the strongest influence (β = 0.443, R² = 0.195, p < 0.001), followed by mobile marketing (β = 0.432, R² = 0.187, p < 0.001) and online affiliate marketing (β = 0.394, R² = 0.155, p < 0.001). The findings indicate that digital marketing practices are critical tools for enhancing customer engagement, brand loyalty, and purchase intention in the SME sector. The study concludes that strategic adoption of digital
marketing can significantly influence consumer decisions and recommends that SMEs invest in digital capacity building, while policymakers support enabling digital infrastructure. This research contributes to the growing body of knowledge on digital marketing in emerging economies and provides practical insights for SME growth in the digital age.