The digital economy has transformed the way
businesses operate worldwide and SMEs in
Zambia are not exempted from this trend. However, many SMEs in Zambia
face challenges in accessing markets, which hinders their growth and
competitiveness. E-marketing presents an opportunity for SMEs to reach a
broader market and overcome these challenges. Hence the quest to study the
factors influencing the adoption of e-marketing as a mode of marketing by SMEs
in Zambia. The study involved a sample of 286 respondents who were selected
using the Taro Yamane formula from the tourism industry, particularly those in
the hotel/lodge business in Livingstone, Zambia. The research is based on
Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model. The analysis
was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Scientists commonly
known by its abbreviation as SPSS. The five variables under observation were:
Performance Expectancy, Effort Expectancy, Social Influence, Facilitating
Conditions and Behavioral Intentions were used to assess if they influence the
actual usage of e-marketing in the tourism industry. The overall coefficient of
correlation of 0.722 from the SPSS results suggests that there is a strong
positive relationship between actual usage and the independent variables which
are PE, SI, BI, EE, and FC. The R-Square (coefficient of determination) of
0.522 suggests that the adoption of digital marketing is influenced 52.2% by
the independent variables PE, SI, BI, EE, and FC and 47.8% can be associated to
other factors that were not taken into consideration. In order to ensure
validity of the data analysis Correlation, Regression and ANOVA analysis was
also put to use.
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