The Internet of Things: Opportunities and Barriers to Online Marketing

Dmitrii Nikolaev, Ph.D.

Disertační práce

Abstract:

The Internet of Things (IoT) has become a transformative force in digital marketing, offering businesses new opportunities to enhance customer engagement, automation, and data-driven decision-making. While IoT adoption has been widely explored in consumer-oriented marketing (B2C), its role in B2B marketing—particularly in online environments—remains underexplored. This dissertation aims to examine how IoT-generated data influences marketing effectiveness, customer satisfaction, and adoption challenges in online B2B marketing. By addressing the opportunities and barriers of IoT adoption, this research provides a comprehensive framework for understanding its impact on business-to-business marketing strategy. The dissertation follows a three-paper format, each paper addressing a distinct but interconnected aspect of IoT’s role in B2B marketing. The first paper, "Systematic Review: Opportunities and Barriers to Online Marketing Caused by the Development of the Internet of Things," provides a comprehensive literature review to assess the current state of IoT adoption in marketing. Using the PSALSAR methodology, it categorizes existing research and identifies gaps in understanding IoT’s application in marketing automation, customer engagement, and operational efficiency. This study also structures the challenges associated with IoT adoption, including data security, regulatory compliance, and the lack of standardization, offering a theoretical foundation for further research. The second paper, "Impact of IoT Data on B2B Marketing Effectiveness: Evidence from the Rental Industry," empirically examines IoT-driven marketing effectiveness in B2B settings. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study first applies the World Café method to define key marketing performance indicators (KPIs). It then employs Cross-Lagged Panel Modeling (CLPM) and Friedman’s test to analyze longitudinal data from 68 companies, tracking how IoT integration affects lead generation, operational cost reduction, and customer engagement metrics. The findings indicate that while IoT improves transparency and efficiency, its direct impact on realized margins and conversion rates remains limited, suggesting that businesses need to strategically integrate IoT insights into decision-making processes to achieve long-term marketing benefits. The third paper, "From Information to Satisfaction: The Role of IoT in B2B Marketing Communication and Sales Responsiveness," explores the role of IoT in shaping customer satisfaction through improved marketing communication. This study adapts and extends an existing social media communication framework, replacing social media with IoT as the primary enabler of business communication in B2B interactions. Using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and qualitative expert interviews, the research demonstrates that IoT alone does not enhance customer satisfaction—its effectiveness depends on how well companies integrate IoT-driven insights into marketing communication strategies. Findings highlight that firms that actively communicate IoT insights in a transparent and responsive manner experience higher customer trust and improved sales responsiveness. The theoretical contributions include advancing knowledge on IoT adoption in B2B marketing, integrating insights from technology adoption theories, marketing automation research, and CRM frameworks. The practical contributions provide a structured framework for businesses to assess IoT adoption challenges and best practices, helping firms implement IoT-driven strategies effectively while addressing regulatory, technological, and operational concerns. This research reinforces the idea that IoT’s success in online B2B marketing depends on more than just technological capabilities—it requires strategic integration with human-driven communication, organizational transparency, and trust-building efforts.

Keywords

Internet of Things (IoT), online marketing, B2B marketing, marketing effectiveness, data-driven marketing strategies, IoT adoption, marketing automation

Jazyk práce: angličtina

Datum vytvoření / odevzdání či podání práce: 1. 4. 2025

Obhajoba závěrečné práce

• Obhajoba proběhla 18. 6. 2025
• Vedoucí: doc. Ing. Radoslav Škapa, Ph.D.
• Oponent: doc. Ing. Martin Klepek, Ph.D., izr. prof. dr. Marjeta Marolt, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Roberto Bruni

Masarykova univerzita

Ekonomicko-správní fakulta

Doktorský studijní program / obor:
Business Economy and Management / Business Economy and Management