Strategic Marketing and e-Business

Abstract

The dramatic growth in e-business is manifest in phenomena such as the surge in internet retailing, the boom in social media based marketing communi-cations, and the centrality of e-commerce to many organizations' core strategies. Despite this the precise implications of e-business for marketing strategy remain little-understood. In order to guide theory development and practice in the mar-keting strategy domain, it is of fundamental importance to take stock of the impact that e-business has had upon strategic marketing. Therefore, this chapter develops a conceptual framework in order to explicate the implications of e-business for strategic marketing theory and practice. We find that the impact of e-business on strategic marketing is far-reaching; influencing not only isolated departments, but the organization as a whole. Finally, we conclude that whilst organizations should be alert to the dynamic opportunities and threats posed by e-business, the guiding principle of value creation should not be forgotten.