Demographic determinants of mobile marketing technology adoption by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Ekiti State, Nigeria

Abstract A substantial number of factors have been examined on the potentials of SMEs to exploit mobile marketing devices to achieve a competitive edge. However, the limited scholarly investigation has focused on the demographic characteristics of top executives of SMEs and how the location moderates the interaction between the demographic structure of SMEs’ executives and the rate of mobile marketing technology adoption, particularly in the south-west of Nigeria where adoption of these devices are slow. The research examines the effects of demographic factors of top SME executives on mobile marketing technology adoption in Ekiti State Nigeria. Data were collected through questionnaires and responses of 230 SMEs were drawn randomly from a population of 620 registered SMEs operating in 6 different industries located in different towns in Ekiti State, South-West Geo-Political Zone, Nigeria. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to analyse the data. Results revealed that the experience, age, and educational attainment of top SMEs’ executives were statistically significant, and the location of the firm significantly moderated mobile marketing technology adoption. Gender also affected mobile marketing technology adoption among SMEs.