Marketing information, management and use: the case of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Purpose Obtaining, managing and using proper marketing information are considered an important strategic issue that cannot be ignored in the light of stiffening competition locally and internationally. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the level of importance attached by Saudi industrial organizations to good management and use of quality marketing information. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire method was used to collect the required data. Using a self-distributed method, the questionnaire was provided to top management levels of 80 companies from different industrial sectors in Saudi Arabia, selected randomly from a list provided by Saudi’s Chamber of Industry. Despite all attempts, only 30 completed questionnaires were returned and used in the statistical analysis for this study. This gave a response rate of 37.5 per cent. Used in this study’s statistical analysis were descriptive statistics such as frequencies, measures of central tendency such as the mean and median, measures of dispersion such as standard deviation and measures of distribution such as skewness and kurtosis. Advanced statistics, such as factor analysis statistics, were also used. Findings The study’s findings indicate how company variables are related to the ideal and actual marketing information application variables. Management’s capacity to develop a marketing plan and effectively observe the improvement may be the most demanding part of achieving desired results. This study further examined the degree to which Saudi business organizations are aware of how important it is to obtain and use proper marketing information. To develop good marketing plans, those business organizations must understand the nature of Saudi’s social structure. Its organization and welfare services are rooted in the values and traditions of Arab Muslim Culture. One of the five basic Pillars of Faith in Islam is the practice of Alms-giving and care of needy. Furthermore, people’s behavior is heavily influenced by the value, norms and expectations of Islam. Research limitations/implications This research offers a methodology to develop a better comprehension of the importance of having good management of marketing information and its use in Saudi Arabia via a description of the significant variables that form marketing information management and use. The current study also calls for more empirical research into this area of marketing in Saudi Arabia. The empirical nature of this study revealed some recommendations for future work that should look into the issues highlighted in this study. It would be useful to apply this study to other similar contexts, which may prove helpful in reexamining the validity of its results. However, further studies are needed to validate the findings of this study, as all behavioral and cultural variables were not investigated and are left for future research. In addition, this is a deductive research; therefore, some important variables may have been omitted, which is another reason for recommending more empirical studies of this type in Saudi Arabia and similar contexts. Practical implications Investigating this type of study in Saudi Arabia gives a unique implication, as it calls for better understanding of the Islamic Marketing Environment of this country, which has two important holy Mosques of Islam (i.e. Al-Haram and the Prophet’s Mosques). There is no denying that the marketing environment characteristics in any society are affected by environmental circumstances, and Saudi Arabia as the most important Muslim Country, is no exception. Originality/value The central issue of this paper is related to the importance of having, managing and using good marketing information by industrial organizations. With this issue in mind, this study was carried out in a Muslim country (i.e. Saudi Arabia). Although the Saudi market has many dealers, domestic and international trades and co-operatives, there is little relevant data about the existing marketing systems, i.e. scarcity of market data and information concerning demand, consumption, opportunities and competition.