The effects of the digital transformation wave on marketing strategies and marketers. Is it a positive or negative revolution?

 If you ask a successful company that implemented a digitalizing process in their company, they will define digital transformation as “using technology for the existing processes and operations.” According to Statista, companies will spend around 3.4 billion USD in 2026 on digital transformation technologies and services.  According to these statistics, whether we like it or not, digital transformation will not be a luxury system for companies, but it will also be a must for successful businesses.

But what are the implications of digital transformation on marketing? Obviously, marketing has benefited from the vast amount of data poured into companies. Having said that, marketing managers have to deal with this data in a way that helps them to make informed and data-driven decisions.

I came across an article with a comprehensive analysis of the effects of digital transformation on marketing. The article was written by (Cioppi, M., Curina, I., and Francioni, B. Digital transformation and marketing: a systematic and thematic literature review) published in 2023. From my point of view and according to this article, there are three main benefits of marketing in digital transformation.

The role of marketing will be more strategic

This means that Marketing will be strategically crucial for the companies in the future. For example, nowadays, companies struggle with different departments to make better data-driven decisions to satisfy customers. So, if companies take advantage of digital transformation to remove repetitive tasks and avoid costly mistakes in the path of marketing, they will step up a gear in their business. What is significant is data analytics and management of real-time data. Marketing departments can make the most of this ability and provide their services according to the customers’ demands.

Obviously, CRM systems have helped companies integrate data systems from finance to customer service and marketing departments. We can imagine the positive impacts of using these tools to maximize profit.

Cultural and structural upgrading

one of the most significant improvements is changing the atmosphere of marketing and other departments to be innovative and flexible. Speaking of digitalizing the processes and tasks in a company, some challenges might be ahead, and management should take some steps to mitigate the challenges. For example:

Full exploitation of digital opportunities necessitates cultural and structural changes within the organization. Also, Companies must undergo cultural upgrading to align with digital transformation and its effects on the business.

In addition, CEOs and managers should govern the process of digitalization. Internal technological competencies, the development of new job positions, and the adoption of new working habits are crucial for successful digital transformation.

Influence on the relationship between companies and consumers

Needless to say, digital transformation can profoundly impact customers’ relationships with the company. In the not-too-distant future, consumers will actively affect the market, not passively. Using digital transformation, companies can let customers play a role in their marketing strategies. No one wants to lose their loyal customers due to unpractical decisions.

I believe the journey of highly effective marketing strategies using digital transformation technologies is yet to come. Nowadays, AI is thriving at an incredible pace. Imagine a time when Chatbots can handle customer service tasks. Also, the future will be enjoyable if the AI tools can take on tasks such as different steps of marketing plans, such as resource allocation, segmentation, or even budgeting.