Industry 4.0 technologies enablement in marketing activities of SMEs to fulfill customers’ needs for personalization: a systematic review

Abstract

Over the last few years, a significant number of studies have examined the concept of Industry 4.0 and its impact on business operations. As current business digitalization processes provide a significant opportunity for SMEs to enable the newest marketing tools and customer-oriented approaches, this study aims to investigate the enablement of Industry 4.0 technologies in marketing activities within SMEs for fulfilling customer needs for personalization. The study was based on a systematic analysis of 8 core databases, which generated more than 1400 articles published during 2016–2020. Using PRISMA steps, 50 articles were used for the qualitative content analysis. The findings of this research confirmed that 4th Industrial Revolution technologies enablement impacts all elements of the Marketing Mix and provides the chance to increase customer needs for personalization: it enhances the co-creation opportunities and enables a higher customized shopping experience. This study deepens the understanding of Industry 4.0 technologies’ impact on marketing and identifies potential unexplored research gaps in this area.