Does Service Marketing Enhance Supplier and Customer Contact in the Gig Economy Era? Case Analysis from Malaysian SMEs` Women Entrepreneurs

Filzah Md Isa (Taylor’s Business School, Faculty of Law and Business, Taylor’s University)
Mathivannan Jaganathan (School of Business Management, College of Business, Universiti Utara Malaysia)
Vincent Yeow Cher Sern (Taylor’s Business School, Faculty of Law and Business, Taylor’s University)
Muhd Afiq Syazwan Ahmdon (Taylor’s Business School, Faculty of Law and Business, Taylor’s University)
Siti Noratisah Mohd Nafi (School of Business Management, College of Business, Universiti Utara Malaysia)

International Journal of Supply Chain Management
Vol 9, No 1 (2020): International Journal of Supply Chain Management (IJSCM)

This research explores the effectiveness of service marketing strategies among Malay women entrepreneurs and how this service marketing strategy affects business performance. The study employs a qualitative method by interviewing a women entrepreneur and their strategies to compete in the market. However, with the right strategy, it is also a time full of opportunities for entrepreneurs. Descriptive statistics and interviews were used to analyse the data. The finding of this research revealed the significant role of information and communication technology (ICT) and social media in their service marketing effectiveness. Online business and social media have brought a significant improvement in the net income of these entrepreneurs, some by manifold. Therefore, women entrepreneurs must adapt to the use of ICT and social media in order to improve the sustainability of their businesses, as well as to attract the younger generation.