Identification of antecedents, indicators, and barriers on the role of digital marketing capabilities within SMEs: A systematic literature review

The emergence of digitization has a profound effect on the sustainability reporting practices if organization across the board.  Nonetheless, it presents particuclar difficulties for Small Medium enterprises (SMEs). This study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of existing literature on identifying the factors that promote and hinder the adoption of Digital Marketing Capabilities (DMC) in  SMEs. This research utilized the PRISMA methodology to execute a literature evaluation utilizing the Scopus database to gather 21 journals, including 25 pertinent publications, from 2015 to 2024. This study presents the development of DMC concepts and findings in SMEs over the last 10 years. This research proposes the relevance of DMC for SMEs, internal and external antecedents of DMC, barriers to DMC adoption in SMEs, and indicators of DMC measurement. DMC research is limited by a lack of conceptual clarity, methodological consistency, and comprehensive studies on industry, regional, and SME-specific contexts, impeding the comprehension of its long-term effects and resilience. Successful DMC adoption allows SMEs to adapt to market changes, sustain competitive advantages, and have the capability to overcome challenges and seize opportunities in the modern landscape. This systematic literature review is a unique contribution that initially attempts to explain how DMC implementation and performance are achieved in the SME context.