Which Digital Marketing Strategy Works Best? A Sector-Based Fuzzy Decision Analysis

Serkan Eti; Elif Çaylan; Pınar Yücel; Hasan Dinçer; Serhat Yüksel; Edanur Ergün

doi:10.31181/jscda412026102

Authors

Serkan Eti 1) Faculty of Applied Sciences, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey; 2) ARUCAD Research Centre, Arkin University of Creative Arts and Design, Northern Cyprus, Mersin 10, Turkey Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4791-4091
Elif Çaylan School of Business, Istanbul Medipol University, Istanbul, Turkey Author https://orcid.org/0009-0004-5790-4526
Pınar Yücel School of Communication, Istanbul Medipol University, Istanbul, Turkey Author https://orcid.org/0009-0009-4616-221X
Hasan Dinçer 1) School of Business, Istanbul Medipol University, Istanbul, Turkey; 2) Department of Economics and Management, Khazar University, Baku, Azerbaijan Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8072-031X
Serhat Yüksel 1) School of Business, Istanbul Medipol University, Istanbul, Turkey; 2) Department of Economics and Management, Khazar University, Baku, Azerbaijan Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9858-1266
Edanur Ergün School of Business, Istanbul Medipol University, Istanbul, Turkey Author https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2212-287X

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31181/jscda412026102

Keywords:

Digital marketing, Social media marketing, Influencer marketing, Personalized marketing, Customer engagement

Abstract

Digital marketing strategy selection is a complex problem due to the diversity of available strategies and evaluation criteria. Businesses must determine which strategies are most effective while considering cost, brand impact, and customer engagement. However, the literature lacks sector-specific analyses and generally offers broad recommendations that ignore differences across industries. This study addresses this gap by developing a novel decision-making framework to identify the most suitable digital marketing strategies for the e-commerce, tourism, and healthcare sectors. The proposed model integrates the simple weight calculation (SIWEC) method for objective criteria weighting, the Interactive Reference Point approach for ranking alternatives, and Fermatean fuzzy numbers to better represent uncertainty. This combination enhances both analytical accuracy and decision flexibility. The findings indicate that programmatic and targeted digital advertising is the most effective strategy for e-commerce and healthcare, while artificial intelligence (AI)-powered personalized marketing is more suitable for tourism. The study also shows that priority criteria differ by sector. The main contributions include a sector-based evaluation framework and a hybrid fuzzy model with high explanatory power. The results suggest that businesses should adopt data-driven targeting in efficiency-oriented sectors and personalized approaches in experience-focused industries.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Feng, Y., & Kim, H. J. (2025). Decoding the trust matrix: Unraveling key predictors of consumer trust in AI-generated personalized advertising. Journal of Interactive Advertising, 25(2), 123-138. https://doi.org/10.1080/15252019.2025.2468286

Oriakhi, O. P., Amin, A., & Safdar, S. (2023, March). Negative impact of social media advertisements on branding in digital marketing. In 2023 International Conference on IT Innovation and Knowledge Discovery (ITIKD) (pp. 1-4). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/ITIKD56332.2023.10099505

Trunfio, M., & Rossi, S. (2021). Conceptualising and measuring social media engagement: A systematic literature review. Italian Journal of Marketing, 2021(3), 267-292. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43039-021-00035-8

Wijaya, I., Rahardjo, K., Abdillah, Y., & Riza, M. F. (2025). Sustainability performance in business: a systematic review of leadership, culture, capability and digital marketing contributions. Cogent Business & Management, 12(1), 2543049. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2025.2543049

Uludag, O., Andrlić, B., & Omoruyi, D. (2024). The role of green consumer brand engagement in shaping brand loyalty through digital marketing in the hotel industry. Sustainability, 16(23), 10410. https://doi.org/10.3390/su162310410

Kwakye, S., Ertugan, A., & Tashtoush, L. (2024). Navigating Purchase Intentions: The Influence of Reviewers’ Comments Moderated by Risk and Trust. Behavioral Sciences, 14(7), 552. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14070552

Jayapalan, N., John, J. A., Parayitam, S., & Xavier, M. F. (2025). From ‘click’to ‘convert’: The power of interactive content in digital marketing and its effect on Indian’Gen Z’s purchase intention. Journal of Marketing Communications, 1-30. https://doi.org/10.1080/13527266.2025.2597283

Theocharis, D. (2025). Peer dynamics in digital marketing: How product type shapes the path to purchase among Gen Z consumers. Businesses, 5(3), 43. https://doi.org/10.3390/businesses5030043

Tiwari, S. K., Haque, M. A., Kirmani, M. D., & Kumar, S. (2025). How social media advertising influences sustainable purchase intentions in the digital age. Discover Sustainability, 6(1), 889. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-025-01820-7

An, G. K., & Ngo, T. T. A. (2025). AI-powered personalized advertising and purchase intention in Vietnam’s digital landscape: The role of trust, relevance, and usefulness. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, 11(3), 100580. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joitmc.2025.100580

Tabar, S., Towhidi, G., Dhar, S., & Prince, B. (2025). Influence of opinion leadership and consumer feedback on consumer trust. European Journal of Management Studies, 30(2), 165-196. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJMS-11-2024-0117

Jamil, R. A., Qayyum, A., Ahmad, Z., & Shah, A. M. (2025). Investigating the determinants of consumer confidence and online impulse buying intentions: an experimental study. Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Administration, 17(3), 696-716. https://doi.org/10.1108/APJBA-06-2024-0325

Ahmad, A. Y. B., Allahham, M., Almajali, W. I., Ayasrah, F. T., & Sabra, S. (2024, December). Building trust: The role of strategic decision-making in digital market confidence. In 2024 25th International Arab Conference on Information Technology (ACIT) (pp. 1-6). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACIT62805.2024.10877254

Mizukoshi, K. (2025). Exploring the effects of trust and perceived values on consumer brand-related activities (COBRAs): a study of LINE and Facebook users in Japan. Journal of Marketing Analytics, 14(3), 871-884. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41270-025-00405-7

Sang, V. M., & Cuong, M. C. (2025). The influence of brand experience on brand loyalty in the electronic commerce sector: the mediating effect of brand association and brand trust. Cogent Business & Management, 12(1), 2440629. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2024.2440629

Pereira, M. D. S., de Castro, B. S., Cordeiro, B. A., de Castro, B. S., Peixoto, M. G. M., da Silva, E. C. M., & Gonçalves, M. C. (2025). Factors of customer loyalty and retention in the digital environment. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, 20(2), 71. https://doi.org/10.3390/jtaer20020071

Amelia, R., Kautsar, A., & Wardoyo, D. T. W. (2024, October). Digital Marketing Strategy for Customer Loyalty with the Role of Brand Positioning and Trust Mediation. In 2024 12th International Conference on Cyber and IT Service Management (CITSM) (pp. 1-6). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/CITSM64103.2024.10775701

Noor, N. (2025). A closer look at halal brand image: systematic review and future directions. Journal of Islamic Marketing, 16(10), 2900-2924. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIMA-06-2024-0259

Habib, S., Hamadneh, N. N., & Hassan, A. (2022). The relationship between digital marketing, customer engagement, and purchase intention via OTT platforms. Journal of Mathematics, 2022(1), 5327626. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/5327626

Alam, S. M., & Al Mubarak, M. (2025). The relationship between digital marketing and consumer brand perception. Competitiveness Review: An International Business Journal, 35(4), 753-771. https://doi.org/10.1108/CR-02-2024-0035

Tong, Z., Li, J., & Zeng, S. (2025, June). Research on Brand Image Recognition Algorithm Based on Computer Vision Technology in Digital Marketing. In 2025 IEEE 3rd International Conference on Image Processing and Computer Applications (ICIPCA) (pp. 1385-1390). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICIPCA65645.2025.11138863

Sanches, E., & Ramos, C. M. (2025). Evaluating the impact of Instagram engagement metrics on corporate revenue growth: Introducing the loyalty rate. Information, 16(4), 287. https://doi.org/10.3390/info16040287

Imran, M. A. U., Samiun, M., Dhar, S. R., Noor, S. K., & Sozib, H. M. (2024, December). A Predictive Analysis of Tourism Recovery Using Digital Marketing Metrics. In 2024 International Conference on Intelligent Cybernetics Technology & Applications (ICICyTA) (pp. 350-356). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICICYTA64807.2024.10913229

ElSayad, G. (2024). Beyond likes, comments, and shares: How can influencer marketing drive customer equity and purchase intention?. Journal of Promotion Management, 30(7), 1087-1112. https://doi.org/10.1080/10496491.2024.2347229

Jaiswal, R., Gupta, S., & Chen, P. J. (2026). GenAI personalization: antecedents, outcomes, mediators, and moderators. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 38(13), 134-158. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-07-2025-1056

Al-Ahmed, H., Alshaketheep, K., Mansour, A., AlHamad, A., Alshurideh, M., Al Zeer, I., & Deeb, A. (2025). Unlocking the Power of Personalization: Revolutionizing Digital Marketing Strategies. In The Digital Edge: Transforming Business Systems for Strategic Success: Volume 2 (pp. 581-591). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-95280-7_54

Neetika, Abrol, V., Agarwal, N., Swain, A. K., & vinchurkar, G. (2025, September). Personalization in Digital Marketing: Enhancing Consumer Engagement Using AI. In International Conference on Electronic Governance with Emerging Technologies (pp. 216-228). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-12232-2_15

McKee, K., Dahl, A. J., & Peltier, J. W. (2025). Personalized digital marketing value-in-use: examining the influences on consumers’ continuum of interactive marketing avoidance behaviors. Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, 20(4), 491-508. https://doi.org/10.1108/JRIM-03-2025-0136

Kamyabi, M., Özgit, H., & Ahmed, J. N. (2025). Sustaining digital marketing strategies to enhance customer engagement and brand promotion: Position as a moderator. Sustainability, 17(7), 3270. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17073270

Gündüzyeli, B. (2025). Cyber resilience in digital marketing within the framework of sustainable management. Sustainability, 17(5), 2080. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17052080

Boza, E., Kilipiri, E., & Papaioannou, E. (2025, April). Integrating Sustainability into an Organizational Marketing Strategy: A Systematic Literature Review. In Proceedings (Vol. 111, No. 1, p. 23). MDPI. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2024111023

Madhavi, S. (2025). Global e-commerce success: Personalization, SEO, and sustainability in digital marketing. In Digital transformation and sustainability of business (pp. 298-302). CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003606185-69

Soobramoney, J., Chifurira, R., Zewotir, T., & Chinhamu, K. (2025). Identifying the intents behind website visits by employing unsupervised machine learning models. Annals of data science, 12(1), 413-437. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40745-024-00586-5

Deák, B., & Szabó, I. (2025, May). Marketing Digital Shift: How Has Traditional Marketing Transformed into Digital Marketing and Why?. In 2025 IEEE 19th International Symposium on Applied Computational Intelligence and Informatics (SACI) (pp. 599-604). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/SACI66288.2025.11030115

Witarsyaha, D., Wijaya, Y. V., & Oktavianiva, R. (2025, April). Evaluating the Effectiveness of Digital Marketing Channels: A Causal Inference and Predictive Modeling Approach. In International Conference on Smart Computing and Informatics (pp. 269-283). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-08253-4_24

Karuppiah, K., Sankaranarayanan, B., Gupta, N., & Pandey, S. (2025). An integrated Fermatean Fuzzy Set approach for examining the challenges to maritime supply chain resilience of Indian ports. Sustainable Futures, 10, 101442. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sftr.2025.101442

Eti, S., Yüksel, S., Dinçer, H., Çırak, A. N., Deveci, M., & Kadry, S. (2025). Strategy building for renewable energy adoption in regionalized supply chains-based logistic systems using a hybrid fuzzy decision-making approach. Case Studies on Transport Policy, 20, 101479. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cstp.2025.101479

Sarkar, A., & Goswami, S. S. (2026). A Comprehensive Review: The Novel Weighting Methods For Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM). Spectrum of Operational Research, 1-26. https://doi.org/10.31181/sor202781

Sarkar, A., Goswami, S. S., Behera, D. K., & Bozanic, D. (2026). Criteria Weighting Methods in Multi-Criteria Decision Making: A Comprehensive Review of Subjective, Objective, and Hybrid Approaches. Journal of Contemporary Decision Science, 3(1), 1-34. https://doi.org/10.67334/cds202619

Kizielewicz, B., & Sałabun, W. (2024). SITW Method: A New Approach to Re-identifying Multi-criteria Weights in Complex Decision Analysis. Spectrum of Mechanical Engineering and Operational Research, 1(1), 215-226. https://doi.org/10.31181/smeor11202419

Aytaç Adali, E. (2025). A Novel MCDM Method: The Integrative Reference Point Approach. Informatica, 36(3), 625-655. https://doi.org/10.15388/25-INFOR594

Horstick, M. I. Y., & Zarkada, A. (2025, July). SMEs Playing in the Big Advertising League: The Transformative Potential of Programmatic Advertising and the Barriers to Its Full-Scale Implementation. In GMA-GAMMA Joint Symposium (pp. 205-239). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-96930-0_11

Diaz Ruiz, C. A. (2025). Disinformation and fake news as externalities of digital advertising: a close reading of sociotechnical imaginaries in programmatic advertising. Journal of Marketing Management, 41(9-10), 807-829. https://doi.org/10.1080/0267257X.2024.2421860

Gündüzyeli, B. (2026). AI-Driven Decision-Making in Programmatic Advertising (PA) for Sustainable Digital Marketing. NMIMS Management Review, 34(2), 100-110. https://doi.org/10.1177/09711023261427972

Ali, F., Suveatwatanakul, C., Nanu, L., Ali, M., & Terrah, A. (2025). Social media marketing and brand loyalty: exploring interrelationships through symmetrical and asymmetrical modeling. Spanish Journal of Marketing-ESIC, 29(1), 114-135. https://doi.org/10.1108/SJME-08-2023-0219

Alsalloum, A. A., & Gainous, J. (2025). Female social media influencers in the Arab Gulf: shaping marketing and advertising on Instagram. Frontiers in Communication, 10, 1518386. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2025.1518386

Gong, N., & Seo, J. (2025). The influence of advertising language and brand loyalty on consumers’ purchase intentions. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 37(11), 3464-3481. https://doi.org/10.1108/APJML-09-2024-1282

Journal of Soft Computing & Decision Analytics (JSCDA)

Which Digital Marketing Strategy Works Best? A Sector-Based Fuzzy Decision Analysis

Authors

DOI:

Keywords:

Abstract

Downloads

References

Downloads

Published

Issue

Section

License

How to Cite

new_left_code

Usage Statistics

Make a Submission