What is the current state of integrating digital marketing into entrepreneurship:: a systematic mapping study

Abstract

The idea of integrating digital marketing into entrepreneurship has been extensively proposed because of its remarkable benefits. However, there are very few studies devoted to structuring knowledge in this field to reduce bias and increase reliability for those who need a comprehensive overview of high priorities and controversial topics. Thus, a systematic mapping study of the existing literature in target research was conducted to fill in this research gap. The manuscript aims to provide the classification and thematic analysis of the most relevant studies on digital marketing integrated entrepreneurship research. By using four important databases (Scopus, web of science, research gate, and science direct), over 100 candidate studies were selected with search strings (such as "digital marketing" and "entrepreneurship") and alternative term/synonyms relevant to the title. Publication dates of articles are accepted to be from 2015 to 2022. During the manual analysis of candidate studies, titles, abstracts, and conclusions were analyzed to identify the major themes and tendencies of the literature on digital marketing-based entrepreneurship. The scientific contribution of this paper is a taxonomy that provides a classification of digital marketing applications and the visual status of the target research areas. In addition to structuring relevant research areas, the systematic mapping study also provides the recommended portfolio of publications regarding digital marketing-in-entrepreneurship theory and major contemporary themes. Based on the research agenda of this systematic mapping study, additional studies also are called for future research directions to extend the scope of integrating digital marketing into entrepreneurship and identify current topics in the process and possible gaps in the existing research.